By Waylon Galvez
Filipino-Japanese Yuka Saso bludgeoned the Taiheiyo Club Minori course and came up with a vibrant 9-under-par 63 to finish second in the drama-filled Toto Japan Classic Sunday at the Ibaraki Prefecture in Japan.
Saso’s stirring comeback from a share of 12th – six shots off second round leader and world No. 5 Nasa Hataoka – to finish second behind the unflappable Korean Shin Jie in the Tour’s third major championship could signal her return to form after disappointing finishes in the last three legs of the rich Japan-LPGA.
Though she fell three strokes in her no-holds-barred attack, the 19-year-old rookie was rewarded princely for her three-day effort of 200. She had 70 and 67 in the first two rounds.
For three days of great shotmaking, Saso collected Y14,637,920 (roughly P6.8 million) more than enough to regain the money list honors with Y82,753 (P38.6 million), Y24 million ahead of Sakura Koiwai, who remains in the list of Top 10 money earners.
She likewise regained Player of the Year lead from Koiwai with 928.85 points going to the last three tournaments of the circuit.
After a scorching 32 in the frontnine, the Asian Games gold medalist was able to tie Jie in the 16th hole.
But the Korean, who was three flights behind, refused to be intimidated as she came up with an eagle-birdie finish to end Saso’s rally. She finished the round with a 66 for a 197.
Koiwai finished tied for 18th at 208 with an earning of Y1,846,400, and total earnings of Y58,862,542 and 891.46 points in the Mercedes ranking.
It marked the second time that Saso logged a 63 – the first was when she captured her first JLPGA diadem in the NEC Karuizawa last mid-August before claiming the Nitori Ladies title the following week.
Hataoka also fired a 66 to finish tied for third at 202 with Korean Jeon Mi-Jeong (65) and Maiko Wakabayashi (66) while last year’s champion Ai Suzuki also rallied with a 65 to share sixth place with Lee Min-Young (70) and Ayako Kimura (71) at 203.
