YUKA Saso closed out with her best round of 69 yesterday to wind up in a six-way tie for 18th at the end of the World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup at the Ibaraki Golf Club East course in Tsukubamirai, Japan.
Returning on the Japanese LPGA tour after an absence of more than a month, Saso cobbled her finest round with five birdies against two bogeys in the 72-hole tournament over the par 72, 6,630-yard course.
The 2018 Asian Games gold medalist slumped to a 75 in the third round and eventually fashioned a four-round tally of 285, finishing 11 strokes behind Japanese Yuna Yumishura, who shot a 67 for 274, coming from behind to wrest the title with a three-stroke win over three compatriots.
Inami Mone (66-277), Reika Usui (69-277) and Momoko Osato (70-277) settled for runner-up honors while overnight leader Ayaka Takahashi faded to fifth place (74-278).
Three shots behind entering the final round, Yumishura totaled 274 to pocket the top purse of 24 million yen (roughly P10.5 million) as she posted her second triumph on the tour, while Saso took home 948,000 yen (P417,000).
