– Yuka Saso emerged from nowhere in 2021 and won the US Open at the Olympic Club at just 19 years old. Let’s qualify the nowhere. She had won two tournaments on the Japan circuit, with a good handful of top 10s and had played three LPGA tournaments with a sixth place in the bag. That is, she showed promise, but her victory was still a huge surprise.
The key issue of that victory was not only the fact of lifting the USGA trophy, which is no small feat, but how she did it. She amazed the world with a swing speed uncharacteristic of women’s golf, she took the course with the driver, went straight as a candle and was eating the flags. She won everyone over, revealed that she watched videos of Rory McIlroy to imitate his movement and unleashed a sea of expectations.
That Yuka Saso, who then competed under the flag of the Philippines, was called to mark an era. They were times when there were not many great references in women’s golf. There was no Nelly Korda and the Number One witness was passed between Koreans and Lydia Ko. That is, between Koreans. Saso was pointed out as the chosen one.
However, in her next three years her harvest has been far below those expectations. No victories, three second places, one per year, two thirds and fifteen top 10s was the balance. The next thing was to win the US Open again at the Lancaster Country Club this Sunday. How do you eat this? Where is the enigma? Why have we suddenly seen that fabulous swing Yuka Saso again, long, aggressive, focused, in short, superior?
It’s the million dollar question. The enigma that has no answer. Not even Saso knows. “I’m not sure how to answer that. I think I just stuck to the game plan, to the routine I’ve been doing all week. I think that helped me a bit to hit good shots and not miss many.”
With that answer, we can wait another three years to see Yuka Saso winning again, or ten, who knows, or maybe just two weeks… She can come out at any time… or not. If she doesn’t say it in public because she doesn’t want to, perfect, but if she doesn’t say it because she doesn’t know, she really has a problem, since she won’t know what to do to bring out the best in her golf again.
Do we buy her a key as simple as being stuck in the routine and sticking to the game plan? Of course, but that’s not the important answer. The question Yuka must ask (and answer, of course) is what happens at the US Open for her to stick to the plan, follow the routine. Is it a matter of concentration? Does she need very demanding scenarios to be into the round, without distractions, without ‘going crazy’?
If she asks the question and finds the answer, we might find a solution to the Saso enigma and we can witness a player of the era in the coming years. She has it all. Otherwise, she will continue to be an extraordinary sniper who can win any week and it is normal that she does not.
It is clear that Yuka Saso is not into very thoughtful analysis. She is a golfer who changed her putter in October simply because she liked the feeling. Bryson DeChambeau would be shocked. “I like the look, how it looks, I don’t know…”, she explains. There is no problem with her being like this, but her team would do well to go a little further to find stability and consistency. If she wants it, of course, which would be the first of the questions she should ask herself.
We understand that yes, otherwise, she would not say that her victory in Lancaster has been a relief. “I wanted this triumph. Not just to get one more, but also to prove something to myself. I’ve been two and a half or three years without winning. I had doubts about whether I could win again or not,” she explains. We will see if Yuka can solve her enigma.
– Minjee Lee was the big negative protagonist on Sunday. She was the leader and signed 78 strokes. The Australian did not beat around the bush. “I acknowledge my disappointment. It should serve me to come back stronger, to take the positive from the week. There is a lot of pressure on the last day and it was not my best performance. I will do better in the future. I started the round well, I missed a couple of birdie chances and then I just exploded,” she says.
– Hinako Shibuno did not expect to be in the fight to win, as it is not being her best season. That is the lesson she takes. She will analyze what has happened to play so well this week and draw conclusions. Meanwhile, she is a phenomenon of masses. Few players attract more sympathizers than her.
– Andrea Lee leaves Lancaster with the conviction that she can win a Major. “This is my place, I have it clear. This week is going to help me to believe it a little more. I have been very nervous and I have hit bad shots, but I have been in the fight until the end. I can win these tournaments. I like difficult courses.”
– Carlota Ciganda keeps hovering around. She has not been close to victory in Lancaster, but in the end she has secured a valuable top 20. It may not taste like much, to the Navarrese for sure not, but the fact that she has finished in the top 20 and not fifty-something is much more important than it seems for the next Majors. That ability to fight every stroke is vital for when the opportunity presents itself again… Because yes, we tell you a secret, Carlota will be up for a Major sooner rather than later and she is much closer than a year ago to singing bingo.
