On a week where scores ballooned over par at the U.S. Women’s Open, it fittingly was won by one of the few players on Sunday who willed herself to a round in the 60s. Yuka Saso was the last one standing — her final round 68 good enough for a three-shot win and her second career U.S. Women’s Open title.
Saso didn’t play perfect golf — perfect golf may not have been possible this week, given the difficult setup at Lancaster Country Club. She four-putted on the 6th hole for a double bogey and nearly repeated that on the 17th hole, three-putting for bogey on the closing stretch. But she was nearly perfect every other step of the way, bagging five birdies in the process and leaping three competitors who had begun the day sharing the lead.
Saso started the day three shots back of Minjee Lee, Andrea Lee and Wichanee Meechai and hovered there as Minjee Lee birdied the 1st. But slowly each of the leaders erred on LCC’s front nine. Two bogeys and a double for Andrea Lee. Same thing for Meechai. Three bogeys for Minjee. Saso stayed steady for the first 11 holes and then rattled off four birdies in a 5-hole stretch to build a three shot lead.
It was one of those 90-minute stretches that can happen during golf tournaments with difficult setups, as one player goes in the positive direction and everyone else is pulled in the opposite direction. The finishing touch came on the 16th hole, a par-4 moved up to a drivable distance, when Saso hit the green in one an two-putted for birdie. By the time she tapped in on 18 for a week-long tally of four under, she was three clear of the field — the only thing left in doubt being who might finish in second.
Saso leapt onto the scene three years ago when she won the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open at Olympic Club at just 19 years old, the youngest winner in the history of the biggest event in women’s golf. She hovered on the edge of greatness ever since, never winning but finishing runner-up three different times, once at the 2023 Women’s PGA Championship.
Now, she becomes just the 15th player to win multiple U.S. Women’s Open titles, and surely one of the youngest to accomplish the feat at just 22 years old. As a result of her win, she’ll take home a $2.4 million winner’s check, the biggest prize in the women’s game. She’ll also take a major step toward qualifying for the Olympics, which will be held later this summer in Paris. The qualification period wraps up in two weeks, leaving some room for shuffling, but Saso’s win pushes her well inside the safety mark.
