Saso soars

MANILA, Philippines — Rookie Yuka Saso continued her steady rise in the world rankings, gaining 16 spots to move to No. 57 with 1.96 average points out of a total of 68.53 points over 21 tournaments.

Her strong runner-up finish to Korean Shin Jie in last Sunday’s Toto Japan Classic, Japan LPGA’s third major championship, in Ibaraki where she closed out with a stirring bogey-free 63, anchored the 19-year-old Fil-Japanese shotmaker’s latest jump.