Asian Games double gold medalist Yuka Saso posted a bogey-free 5-under 67 Tuesday to claim the medal honors in the 71st US Girls Junior Championships on Tuesday at Sentryworld in Wisconsin.
Along with her opening 65, Saso, 18, finished with a 12-under 132 total, just two strokes off the 36-hole record of 130 held by Taylore Karle in the 2005 BanBury Golf Course in Idaho.
As the No. 1 seed, Saso will take on either Ainsley Cowart of Georgia or Kayle Sakoda of California, who will be disputing the last and No. 64 slot in a playoff early Wednesday.
Saso also emerged as the only player in the field to go bogey-free in stroke play.
“With this golf course, with the wind, you can really make a bogey at any time, and this setup is not easy, so I am a little surprised I’ve been able to go bogey-free,” said Saso.
Saso’s five-shot victory also matched the largest winning margin in the tournament since 2000.
In the last three editions, the women’s world amateur No. 24 has not advanced past the Round of 32.
She, however, reached the semifinals of the 2016 US Women’s Amateur at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pennsylvania. (KRISTEL SATUMBAGA)
