SAN FRANCISCO – Yuka Saso bounced back from two early double bogeys and held off Japan’s Nasa Hataoka in the third hole of a sudden death playoff to win the 76th U.S. Women’s Open golf championship at the Olympic Club in San Francisco on Sunday.

The 19-year-old Saso became the first Filipino player to win the tournament and announced herself as a new force in the game with her first major title.

Saso pumped her first and smiled after nailing a 10-foot birdie putt for the win after overcoming the early adversity on a picture-perfect day at the Lake Course.

“I was actually upset,” she said about the two double bogeys in her first three holes, which seemed to doom her chances.

“My caddie talked to me and said there are still many holes to go and to keep doing what I’ve been doing the past few days,” she said.

“And to trust the process.”