Saso looks to reignite form at Women's PGA Championship
MANILA, Philippines — Yuka Saso heads into this week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship determined to turn the page on a frustrating stretch and rediscover the form that has made her one of golf’s premier major performers.
The two-time major champion arrives at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, seeking a breakthrough after showing signs of life at last week’s Meijer LPGA Classic, where she snapped a troubling streak of four consecutive missed cuts.
But while simply making the weekend marked a positive step, Saso struggled to build momentum over the final two rounds and settled for a share of 56th place — hardly the confidence-boosting result she had hoped for heading into one of the biggest events of the season.
The challenge awaiting her this week promises to be even greater.
Hazeltine, a par-72 masterpiece long revered for hosting major championships, has been meticulously prepared for the season’s third major months in advance. Its rolling terrain, strategically placed bunkers, demanding landing areas and firm, undulating greens are expected to provide a stern examination of every facet of a player’s game, rewarding precision and punishing even the slightest mistakes.
Adding another layer of difficulty, Saso is scheduled to tee off at 2:04 p.m. Thursday (Friday Manila time) from No. 10, a time when course conditions are projected to be firmer and more challenging. She will be grouped with talented Americans Rose Zhang and Yealimi Noh in one of the featured afternoon pairings.
Still, Saso’s pedigree on golf’s biggest stages cannot be overlooked. Despite her recent struggles, the ICTSI-backed Filipino-Japanese standout has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to elevate her game in major championships.
Armed with experience, resilience, and a proven knack for rising to the occasion, she hopes to get off to a fast start and position herself firmly in contention early in the $13-million championship, the richest purse in LPGA history.
The record prize fund is expected to further intensify competition among an elite field loaded with the world’s top players.
Leading the charge is World No. 1 Nelly Korda, who is chasing a rare piece of golfing history. After capturing the Chevron Championship and the US Women’s Open, Korda is bidding to become only the third player to sweep the first three majors of a season, joining legends Babe Zaharias (1950) and Inbee Park (2013).
Korda begins her campaign at 8:17 a.m. on No. 1 in a marquee grouping alongside fellow major champions Hannah Green and Sei Young Kim, winners of this championship in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul is likewise expected to be a major contender, while virtually the entire women’s golf elite has converged on Hazeltine. Twenty-four of the world’s top 25 players are in the field, including Hyo Joo Kim, Charley Hull, amateur sensation Lottie Woad, Ruoning Yin, reigning Meijer LPGA Classic champion Miyu Yamashita and defending Women’s PGA champion Minjee Lee.
As attention shifts to Hazeltine, another group of Filipina campaigners will be looking to make their mark on the Epson Tour.
Bianca Pagdanganan, who finished tied for 49th at the US Women’s Open, resumes her campaign at the Island Resort Championship, which gets underway Friday (Saturday Manila time) at Sweetgrass Golf Club in Harris, Michigan.
Joining the long-hitting Filipina are fellow ICTSI players Dottie Ardina and Pauline del Rosario, along with Clariss Guce, Tomi Arejola and Sam Bruce. All will be seeking a strong finish in the 54-hole tournament as they aim to inject momentum into largely underwhelming seasons and strengthen their bids for higher status in the second half of the year.
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