Reset and ready, Saso eyes fresh start at AIG Women's Open
MANILA, Philippines — After enduring one of the most difficult stretches of her professional career following her second US Women’s Open triumph in 2024, Yuka Saso heads to this week’s AIG Women’s Open hoping a timely reset can spark a long-awaited turnaround.
The two-time major champion opted to skip last week’s Scottish Open, choosing instead to step away from competition to recharge mentally and physically while addressing the subtle flaws that have hampered her game over the past two seasons.
For Saso, the brief break was less about resting than rediscovering. It gave her an opportunity to evaluate both her swing and mindset, fine-tune key areas of her game and regain the confidence that once made her one of the LPGA Tour’s most feared competitors.
Since capturing her second US Women’s Open title in May 2024, the ICTSI-backed Filipino-Japanese star has struggled to sustain the form that carried her to major glory. The downturn has not stemmed from a lack of motivation but rather from the fine margins that often separate success from frustration in golf — a sport where even the world’s elite inevitably experience peaks and valleys.
Saso still managed a pair of Top-10 finishes after her major breakthrough in 2024, offering signs that her game remained competitive. But those encouraging results were followed by a steep decline.
The 2025 campaign proved especially frustrating as she missed the cut in 13 of her 19 starts, with a tie for 17th at the LPGA Thailand standing as her best finish of the season.
The struggles have continued this year. Through 15 tournaments, Saso has failed to make the weekend in eight events, with a tie for 33rd — also at the LPGA Thailand — her best showing heading into the season’s final major.
Still, golf has long been a game that rewards patience and perseverance, and Saso knows fortunes can change quickly with a single strong week.
She hopes that week begins Thursday when the $10-million AIG Women’s Open gets underway at the historic Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club in Lancashire, England.
There, Saso will test herself against one of the strongest fields in women’s golf, with major champions, LPGA stars and rising talents all chasing one of the sport’s most prestigious titles on one of its most demanding links layouts.
Leading the stellar cast is World No. 1 Nelly Korda, who arrives as one of the tournament favorites after another remarkable campaign highlighted by four LPGA victories, including two major championships.
Also drawing considerable attention is South Korea’s Haeran Ryu, who enters the championship in red-hot form after capturing the last two majors of the season. England’s Charley Hull and rising star Lottie Woad, meanwhile, will be aiming to capture their first major championships in front of the home crowd.
The final 13 spots in the championship field were secured Monday at St. Annes Old Links through Final Qualifying.
England’s Bel Wardle and Belgium’s Manon De Roey earned medalist honors after matching 68s. Five more players advanced automatically with rounds of 69 before six additional berths were decided in a playoff.
Anna Foster, Chloe Williams, Polly Mack, Ana Pelaez Trivino, Amanda Doherty and Jodi Ewart Shadoff survived the playoff to complete the qualifying contingent.
Although Saso enters the championship without the momentum enjoyed by many of the tournament favorites, major championships have repeatedly brought out the best in her. Her two US Women’s Open victories came under vastly different circumstances, proving her ability to rise when the stakes are highest.
With her mind refreshed, her body recharged and a renewed belief in her game, Saso now hopes this week’s AIG Women’s Open marks not only the end of a prolonged slump but also the beginning of another memorable chapter in her remarkable career.
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