Yuka Saso leads Philippines to WJGC team title
Finishing with a tournament-leading 2-under 286, Yuka Saso led the Philippine contingent to gold at the recently-concluded World Junior Girls Championship in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
TEAM PHILIPPINES WINS GOLD. The team of Yuka Saso (middle), Harmie Nicole Constantino (left), and Sofia Angela Legaspi (right) won the 3rd World Junior Girls Championship (WJGC) in Canada.
The Philippines finished the four-day tournament at 2-over 578, with last year’s champion South Korea finishing second with an 11-over 587. The United States of America, winners of the inaugural World Junior Girls Championship in 2014, finished third with a 15-over 591.
HUGS ALL AROUND. Saso, Constantino, and Legaspi share a hug after the fourth and final round of the WJGC.
Saso tallied a 2-under 70 in the final round of the four-day tournament to finish at 2-under 286, the only player in the tournament to finish under-par. Her teammates and long-time friends Harmie Nicole Constantino and Sofia Angela Legaspi finished with a 6-over 294 and a 36-over 324 respectively.
The moment was not lost on Saso. “I feel happy and honoured to win this trophy and this tournament,” said the 15-year-old. “I feel happy because I was not expecting it, with this being [the Philippines’] first time in this tournament. Winning with this group is special because we have known each other since we were kids, so it makes me really happy.”
“This is the best feeling,” said Constantino, when asked about the team victory. “It is unexplainable to me, because no one expected it. We played our games and it turned out really well. We never had any doubts, we came here to win and we did.”
Legaspi highlighted the significance of winning the event. “It really means a lot to win this big event. It gives us a lot of experience and confidence. It also helps to get us college scholarships, so it is a big deal. The win could also inspire younger golfers in the Philippines to work hard and travel to events like this.”
For the full scores and statistics of this year’s World Junior Girls Championship, visit www.worldjuniorgirls.com.
All photos courtesy of Herb Fung/Golf Canada, grabbed from Golf Canada Facebook page
Source: World Junior Girls Championship, ABC News, Inquirer.net
