Saso Wins Second Career U.S. Women’s Open

Yuka Saso clinched her second U.S. Women’s Open title on Sunday, making history as the first Filipino to win the Women’s Open in 2021 and now the first from Japan to secure women’s golf’s most prestigious event.

At 22, Saso displayed remarkable skill at Lancaster Country Club, carding a 2-under 68. Her round included four birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine, capitalizing on others’ missteps to win without much drama.

Saso finished at 4-under 276, securing a three-shot victory over Hinako Shibuno, who won the Women’s British Open in 2019, becoming the first Japanese player to do so. Saso and Shibuno were the only players to finish under par, marking the fewest subpar scores at the Women’s Open in a decade.

With two titles on the Japan LPGA, Saso joined Se Ri Pak and In Gee Chun as the only golfers whose first two LPGA wins were major championships.

Andrea Lee, who shared the lead at the beginning of the day, was the last contender to challenge Saso. However, Lee faltered with a poor tee shot on the 16th, leading to a par, and then bogeyed the 17th. A final bogey on the 18th gave her a 75, tying for third with Ally Ewing (66).

Saso, whose mother is Filipino and father is Japanese, expressed her desire to represent both countries. She switched her citizenship before turning 21 and led a strong Japanese showing with five players in the top 10.

“Winning in 2021, I represented the Philippines. I feel like I was able to give back to my mom,” Saso said during the trophy presentation. “This year I was able to represent Japan, and I think I was able to give back to my dad. I’m very happy that I was able to do it. It’s just a wonderful feeling that I was able to give back to my parents in the same way.”

Saso’s victory earned her $2.4 million from the $12 million purse, the largest in women’s golf and in women’s sports at a standalone venue. This win also boosts her chances of returning to the Olympics, where she represented the Philippines in the 2021 Tokyo Games, tying for ninth.

While Saso excelled, Sunday saw significant struggles from other players. The final two groups went 22-over par, with Minjee Lee’s collapse being the most surprising. Lee, a two-time major champion, led by three shots on the front nine but hit a tee shot into the water on the 12th, resulting in a double bogey and falling into a tie with Saso. Another double bogey on the 14th led to her closing with a 78.

“I started good,” Lee said, reflecting on her birdie on the first hole. “Just missed a couple putts for birdie early and then I kind of blew up from there.”

Wichanee Meechai of Thailand, who has no LPGA wins and is ranked 158th globally, struggled early with a triple bogey on the par-3 sixth and finished with a 77.

Saso also had her challenges, including a four-putt double bogey on the sixth hole, leaving her four shots behind Minjee Lee. However, she rebounded with a 10-foot birdie putt on the 12th, followed by a wedge to 3 feet on the par-5 13th. She continued with a 6-foot birdie on the 15th and a decisive 3-wood to 20 feet on the 16th for a two-putt birdie.

Despite a three-putt bogey on the 17th, Saso’s lead was secure. She was in the scoring room when her victory was confirmed, receiving congratulations from fellow players.

Saso becomes the second woman to win a major under two flags, following Sally Little who won the 1980 LPGA Championship for South Africa and the du Maurier Classic in 1988 as an American.

Sunday’s round saw multiple players falter, with Andrea Lee three-putting the first hole and making double bogey on the fourth. Meechai also struggled, three-putting her first two holes and hitting into the creek on the sixth.

In Saso’s first U.S. Women’s Open win, she benefited from Lexi Thompson’s late collapse. This time, she took command with strong putting and strategic play on the scoring holes.