Yuka Saso gunned down two eagles, including the 18th, to finish in a tie for fourth place in the LPGA Northwest Arkansas Championship won by Japanese Nasa Hataoka Sunday (Monday in Manila) in Rogers, Northwest Arkansas.
The Fil-Japanese was solid off the tee, she made her first eagle on the par-5 No. 7 before highlighting her second straight six-under-par 65 with a birdie-eagle finish for a three-day total of 199 – just two shots off Hataoka.
Hataoka – the same player beaten by Saso in a three-hole playoff for the US Women’s Open crown – won the event in dramatic fashion by carding a 67 to beat Korean Ji Eun-Hee (67) and Australian Minjee Lee (68) by one.
Saso’s three-day of brilliant shotmaking – she made a 69 in the opener – won for herself $104,506 (roughly P5.3 million). She was tied by American Danielle Kang who also produced a 65.
Before her eagle on the 7th hole, Saso also birdied the 6th then picked up two more birdies on the 12th and 15th before coming through with a blazing windup that negated bogeys on the 11th and 14th holes.
Hataoka , who made holes-in-one in the first and second rounds, pocketed $345,000.
Dottie Ardina continued her recovery, closing out with a 68 for a four-under 209 worth $5,923, while Bianca Pagdanganan carded a 71 for a 212 total for a share of 74th spot and a $4,188 paycheck.
