TOKYO - Yuka Saso begins her quest for a gold medal in women's golf at the Tokyo Olympics in the company of an old rival but with a new man in her bag in the first round on Wednesday at the Kasimugaseki Golf Club.
Saso will tee off in the 8:25 a.m. flight in the company of Canada's Brooke Henderson and American Lexi Thompson, the same woman she chased down at Olympic Club on the way to winning her first major at the US Women's Open.
The 20-year old Fil-Japanese was quick to play down the rematch.
“I’m going to be playing against top players but I’ve been playing against great players in my past couple of tournaments so I’m going to enjoy it,” said Saso, who is a regular in the Japan Tour but had not played a tournament in this course before.
The ICTSI-backed Saso, however, will be working with a new caddie in national coach Miggy Alejandro, who was tasked to take over after her regular caddie, Lionel Matichuck, was rushed to a hospital on Tuesday after suffering a heat stroke in a practice round.
Both Saso and compatriot Bianca Pagdanganan figure the humidity and the strong winds at the par-71 course in Kawagoe City, Saitama will provide problems for the 60-woman field, more so for the shorter hitters.
“It’s very humid up here actually. It’s definitely a factor and you have to make sure you stay hydrated,” said Pagdanganan, who walked around with an ice pack on her head to help her keep cool during Tuesday's final practice round.
Putting the key
The two Filipinos, however, will hold the edge in what is regarded as a course that favors long-hitters. But Pagdanganan and Saso figure the bigger challenge will be on the greens.
"Yeah, the greens are really good so it’s going to be a good test of accuracy and patience," said Pagdanganan, who is the longest hitter on the LPGA Tour. "You’re gonna need to have control, especially with the putting."
Saso and Pagdanganan teamed up to give the Philippines an Asian Games gold medal in 2018, and now they're looking to win an Olympic medal against a tough field that included some of the best players on tour.
Pagdanganan said flying the flag is something they are proud to do, adding they take inspiration from the success of other athletes in Team Philippines.
"Playing for the country is something that we really don’t take for granted. Not everyone is blessed to do this," she said. "I think it’s nice to have that goal but you can’t get ahead of yourself. We just have to take things day by day."
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