Saso, Martirez, clinch Sabah junior crowns

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

Tied with Fortuna after 36 holes, Saso birdied the first two holes of the Sabah Golf Club to wrest solo control then bucked a double-bogey mishap on No. 7 and the late charge of Chabon and Arevalo to clinch the crown on a 223 aggregate that included a 74 and a 75.

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

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

Sam Martirez capped Team ICTSI’s domination of the 54-hole championship by bagging the Class A with a 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, hit three birdies in the first eight holes to negate bogey-bogey mishaps from No. 12 and salvage a one-under card.

She actually started five shots behind Surendran after a 77 in the first round then matched the Malaysian ace’s 82 in the second day. Surendran sputtered in the final round with 78 and ended up with a 232.