Filipino-Japanese golfer Yuka Saso will skip the coming 29th Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, another downer for the Philippine bid to reach its target of 50 gold medals.
Tom Carrasco, the Philippine Olympic Committee’s pointman in the athlete selection process for the Games, said the National Golf Association of the Philippines informed the task force on the exclusion of the 15-year-old World Junior Girls champion.
Saso also led the PH team to the title last year in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada after joining hands with Harmie Nicole Constantino and Sofia Angela Legaspi for a nine-stroke victory over South Korea.
She subdued Jennifer Chang of the United States by six strokes for the individual trophy.
“I was told by the NGAP that she has other commitments during the SEA Games. She was already removed from the delegation,” said Carrasco.
Saso reached the semifinals of the US Women’s Amateur Golf Championship last year in Pennsylvania.
Junia Louise Quintanilla Gabasa replaced Saso, who also won the ICTSI Eagle Ridge Ladies Invitational last year, in the seven-athlete lineup.
Included in the roster to the Aug. 19-30 Games were Ruperto Zaragosa, Luigi Paolo Wong, Jolo Timothy Wong and Carl Jano Corpus for the men’s individual and team events. Completing the cast are Lois Kaye Lo Go and Constantino.
Filipino golfers missed the medal podium two years ago in Singapore after a double-gold performance by Princess Superal in the women’s individual and team events with Katrina Pelen-Briones and Clare Amelia
Legaspi during the 2013 edition in Burma.
The SEAG golf competition in KL will be held at the Mines Resort City Golf Club in Selangor.
Saso’s absence will mean losing one more potential gold medal for the Philippines after Filipino-American doubles specialist Treat Huey pulled out from the Games last week.