By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Yuka Saso has moved up to No. 3 in the money list rankings apart from jumping to a career-high No. 5 in the latest Rolex women’s world golf rankings to mark another milestone in her young but already flourishing career.
For finishing tied for fourth – worth $138,664 (roughly P7 million) in the Cognizant Founders Cup in West Caldwell, New Jersey over the weekend, the 20-year-old Saso is perhaps the youngest multi-millionaire Filipino athlete ever.
In just eight tournaments this season, Saso already banked $1,474,010 (roughly P74.8 million) in earnings that certainly dwarfed the annual salary of five-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo.
The bulk of her earnings came from winning the $1 million top purse at the US Open last June.
Only American World No. 1Nelly Korda has more earnings than Saso with $1,974,657 in 15 eventswhile Korean ace Jin Young Ko is running second with $1,656,415 in 16 events.
Prior to her latest ranking, Saso was ranked at No. 6 early this month after she also finished tied for fourth at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.
The Tokyo Olympian consistently ranks in the Top 8 for 19 consecutive weeks since propelling from No. 40 after her stunning US Women’s Open.
Korda remains No. 1 in world rankings followed Koreans Ko, Inbee Park and Sei Young Kim.
Completing the Top 10 were No. 6 Minjee Lee of Australia, Japan’s Nasa Hataoka, New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, Canada’s Brooke M. Henderson and Korean Hyo-Joo Kim.
