By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Yuka Saso recovered a bit, closing out with a three-under-par 67 to finish 14th in the Pelican Women’s Championship in Belleair, Florida Sunday.
The reigning US Women’s Open champion finished with five birdies to offset two bogeys on the seventh and 15th for a four-day aggregate of 269 following rounds of 68, 64 and 70.
She pocketed $27,253 (around P1.3 million) for her performance.
Saso finished six strokes behind Nelly Korda, who captured the title in a playoff win over Lexi Thompson, Lydia Ko and Sei Young Kim after finishing with identical 17-under 263.
Korda sealed the victory and the $300,000 champion’s purse with a 20-foot birdie putt.
Saso’s best finish so far after her US Women’s Open win was a joint fourth place finish in the Cognizant Founders Cup and the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship Presented by P&G.
Still, she remains inside the Top 10 of the world rankings for 23 consecutive weeks with a current ranking of No. 6.
