Saso, Martirez bag Sabah Jr crowns

YOUNG Yuka Saso continued to rack up victories abroad, outlasting ICTSI teammates Mika Fortuna, Abegail Arevalo and Sofia Chabon in the final round with a closing 74 to cop the overall championship in the Sabah International Junior Masters in Kota Kinabalu late Thursday.

Tied for the lead with Fortuna after 36 holes, Saso birdied the first two holes of Sabah Golf Club to wrest solo control, then bucked a double bogey on No. 7 and the late charge of Chabon and Arevalo to clinch the crown with a 223 total. She had earlier rounds of 74 and 75.

Arevalo also carded a 74 and finished with 224 to clinch the Class B honors while Chabon wound up with a 76 for 227 and shared third place with first-round joint leader Fortuna.

The victory followed the 12-year-old Saso’s wins in the Annual Costa Mesa Championship in California last month, the Jakarta Junior World Championship in June and the Jack Nicklaus Juniors title in China in May.

Sam Martirez capped Team ICTSI’s domination of the 54-hole championship by topping Class A with 230 after a 71, beating Malaysian Raeysha Surendran by two.

Martirez, coming off a win in last week’s Malaysia 100 Plus Junior golf tournament, canned three birdie putts on the first eight holes to negate back-to-back bogeys from No. 12.

She started five shots behind Surendran after a 77 in the first round.