By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
On the strength of her amazing 2024 US Women’s Open title win on Sunday, Filipino-Japanese Yuka Saso has rocketed to No. 6 in the women’s world golf rankings this week.
The Bulacan-born Saso jumped 24 rungs as she fell to No. 30 after a horrible showing in last weekj’s Mizuho Americas Open where she missed the cut for the first time this year.
Her major victory also made her the top-ranked player of Japan, thus enhancing her bid to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics slated next month. Before her victory, Saso trailed Nasa Hataoka, Miyu Yamashita and Ayaka Furue in the rankings.
A maximum of two athletes per country are allocated to the Olympics, with the final list to be released after June 24.
Saso, 22, showed grit and determination heading to the Lancaster Country Club on Sunday, June 2, by crawling from a three-stroke deficit at the start of the final round en route to a 2-under-68 for a three-shot victory and a second US Women’s Open crown.
The win not only came with a hefty $2.4 million purse, but also with 100 ranking points, allowing her to improve to 239.85 points, just a hairline behind No. 5 Hannah Green of Australia with 238.70 points.
The top five rankings remained unmoved with United States Nelly Korda still the No. 1 female player in the world despite missing the cut in the US Women’s Open. Fellow American Lilia Vu and France’s Celine Boutier are close behind, while China’s Yin Rouning still sits at fourth.
This would be the first time for Saso to breach the Top 10 world rankings since being ranked No. 9 after finishing tied for 12th in the Honda LPGA Thailand in 2022.
She ranked as high as No. 5 in 2021 after a joint fourth place-finish at the Cognizant Founders Cup.
