TOP Filipino golfer Yuka Saso wound up at joint sixth place at the conclusion of the Lotte Championship at the Kapolei Golf Club in Oahu, Hawaii, on Sunday (Manila time).
Ms. Saso, an Asian Games gold medallist for the Philippines in 2018, fired up a 2-under 70 to finish her campaign in the US LPGA tournament.
New Zealand’s Lydia Ko ruled the tournament, which carried a purse of $2 million.
Nineteen-year-old Saso led the event in the early goings, but struggled in the third round and saw her more seasoned opponents take advantage and make their move.
She could not reclaim the lead from there.
Despite falling short, the sixth place finish was the best for Ms. Saso in the US LPGA to date. For her efforts, Ms. Saso took home $54,848 (roughly P2.65 million).
Finishing joint second were South Koreans Inbee Park and Sei Young Kim, Irish Leona Maguire and American Nelly Korda.
Joining Ms. Saso at sixth, meanwhile, were Jenny Shin (South Korea), Wei-Ling Hsu (Taiwan), and Sarah Schmelzel (United States). — Michael Angelo S. Murillo