Summary Yuka Saso birdied the third playoff hole to beat Japan's Nasa Hataoka and win the US Women's Open.
SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Philippine teenager Yuka Saso birdied the third playoff hole to beat Japan s Nasa Hataoka and win the US Women s Open at Olympic Club on Sunday.
Saso, 19, shook off two early double bogeys, coming back with late birdies at 16 and 17 in a two-over 73 to thrust herself into a playoff with a four-under total of 280 for 72 holes.
As overnight leader Lexi Thompson faded, Hataoka carded a final-round 68, but after both she and Saso parred both holes of the two-hole aggregate playoff, it was Saso who came up with a birdie at the sudden-death third hole.
Saso matched South Korean Park In-bee as the youngest winners in the championship s history at 19 years, 11 months and 17 days, and earned her LPGA tour membership.
"I don t know what s happening in the Philippines right now, but I m just thankful that there s so many people in the Philippines cheering for me," said Saso, whose professional resume included two Japan LPGA victories but no wins on the US LPGA tour.
"I don t know how to thank them. They gave me so much energy. I want to say thank you to everyone."
Saso had held the 36-hole lead and started the day one shot off Thompson s lead. But she was in trouble early with double bogeys at the second and third.
"I was actually upset," she said. "My caddie talked to me, said there s still many holes to go -- just keep doing what I was doing the last few days and trust the process."
Saso was two-under the rest of the way, and had a long birdie putt to win at the 72nd hole. It didn t drop, but she rattled in the par putt to force the playoff.
Thompson, seeking a second career major to go with her 2014 ANA Inspiration title, was five strokes up on the front nine and remained four up with eight to play.
A double bogey at 11 signalled the start of a slide and her bogey at 14 saw her lead down to two.
Unable to take advantage of the par-five 16th, she missed a five-foot par putt at the par-five 17th to fall into a tie for first.
At the 18th, Thompson was in the fairway but her approach found the front greenside bunker and she left a 10-foot putt to save par, and make the playoff, two feet short.
"That s what this golf course can do to you," said Thompson of the imposing par-71 Lake Course at Olympic, which has hosted five men s US Opens but had never before hosted a women s major.
She finished with a four-over par 75 that left her alone in third on 281.
"And that s what I ve said all week. Overall, I d be the first one to tell you that I hit some bad golf shots (down the stretch) and I deserved it," Thompson added, "but it s golf."
Hataoka seemed an unlikely title challenger as the day began. She was six shots off the lead and came within a whisker of completing the greatest final-round rally in US Women s Open history.
She started with a birdie at the first, and rebounded from a double bogey at the sixth with birdies at the seventh and ninth.
After a bogey at 11 had her seven shots off the pace, the 22-year-old birdied 13, 14 and 16 -- where she rolled in a breaking putt to pull within one.
Two pars to finish made her the first in the clubhouse on 280, and it wasn t long until she was joined there by Saso.
It was Hataoka s fourth LPGA tour playoff and her second in a major, but in each one she has come up empty.
"On the first (major championship) playoff I had to wait over an hour, so I was kind of excited," Hataoka said of her near-miss at the 2018 Women s PGA Championship. "It got me all excited and uptight.
"But this one since it was right away, I decided I would just be relaxed, then just keep doing what I m supposed to be doing, and this was the result."
