Yuka Saso becomes first golfer from the Philippines to win a major

Filipino golf history was made on Sunday as Yuka Saso became the first golfer ever from the Philippines to win a major title. At the 2021 United States Women’s Open, Saso needed a three-hole playoff to beat Nasa Hataoka of Japan.

Saso and Hataoka both posted scores of -4 after 72 holes. After each recording a score of par on the first two holes, Saso recorded a birdie on the third playoff hole to win the championship.

Many had expected that American Lexi Thompson would be victorious. Heading into the fourth round, Thompson had the lead at -7. On the front nine holes of the Olympic Club in San Francisco, California, it seemed Thompson continued her momentum, as she improved her score to -8.

However, the back nine on Sunday was Jean van de Velde-like. It was that disastrous. Thompson double-bogeyed the 11th hole, and bogeyed the 14th, 17th, and 18th holes. All of a sudden, Thompson, who won the 2014 ANA Inspiration, went from being the favourite to winning the U.S. Women’s Open, to no chance at all.

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Meanwhile, there was a huge story in men’s golf this past weekend. Patrick Cantlay of Long Beach, California beat 2020 PGA Champion Collin Morikawa of Los Angeles, California, in a playoff at the Memorial Tournament from Columbus. But the biggest story was the fact that Jon Rahm tested positive for coronavirus. Rahm had a huge six-stroke lead at the time over Morikawa and Cantlay. By the end of the third round, Rahm had posted the best ever 54-hole score at the Memorial Tournament at -18, and then received news he had to withdraw. The only other player to be -18 after three rounds at the Memorial Tournament was Scott Hoch in 1987.

There are no reports at this time if Rahm had been vaccinated. Rahm was close to guaranteeing to win the Memorial Tournament, and the fact he did not compete on Sunday cost him an excellent chance to win $1.674 million. Yikes!!!

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