Yuka Saso could have given up after an even-par third round found her surrendering the lead she took the day before. The United States Women’s Open was proving to be more exacting than she previously figured, with her penultimate 18 yielding four bogeys for her, including one on the same last hole she birdied in her first two forays. Her sputtering finish at the famed Lake Course of The Olympic Club in San Francisco, California, put her one back of the popular and surging Lexi Thompson heading into the final round.
Saso could also have given up after back-to-back double bogeys on the second and third holes off poor tee shots widened the lead Thompson had over her to five strokes, daunting under any circumstance, but especially so when fate seems to pile on and enjoins even the most determined to pack up. Instead, she regrouped and understood the most basic tenet of competition — and, indeed, of life: Success is a journey, not a destination, and the primordial consideration at any given moment is making the next step count.
As even casual weekend weedwhackers understand only too well, golf is a battle with self; the key to playing with purpose is knowing the only score that counts is one’s own. “Everyone here is a great player. If it’s their time, it’s their time. If it’s my time, it’s my time,” she said. And with her caddie reminding her of the need “to trust the process,” she saw fit to rely on the mechanics that enabled her to thrive on the Japan Tour. She debuted in June 2020 and placed fifth at the Earth Mondahmin Cup, and, a mere four months later, claimed consecutive victores at the NAC Karuizawa 72 and Nitori Ladies Golf Tournament.
Little wonder, then, that Saso trekked to the pride of the Bay Area with confidence. The US Golf Association’s predilection for testing those casting moist eyes on the Harton S. Semple Trophy suited her calm demeanor. She placed 13th at the 75th staging of the major event, with her stint at the Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas, allowing her to both steel herself for the inevitable challenges and believe in her capacity to overcome them. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Considering the ebbs and flows in the final round, Saso could well have wound up short of her goal. Thompson appeared to have the win the bag if not for a stunning back-nine collapse. Runner-up Nasa Hataoka, whose rip-roaring charge of three birdies in four holes put the pressure on the provisional leader, seemed destined to triumph — until, that is, a seemingly straightforward birdie putt on the first playoff hole stopped a revolution short of finding the bottom of the cup. Meanwhile, she kept plodding on, kept pushing forward, kept trusting the process. And she was rewarded accordingly.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
