I’m going to retell this in the most human way possible, filled with quirks and random thoughts. Here we go:
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Alright, so picture your worst Saturday morning golf meltdown moment. Multiply it by a zillion and you might get close to what Mao Saigo faced during the Chevron Championship. Seriously, the first playoff hole had everything you’d want to avoid—like, the kind of chip shot you’d have nightmares about. I mean, she sent her second shot on the par-5 18th into the grandstand! Who does that? (Okay, probably me on a bad day.)
So there she was, trying to chip from the rough, green running away towards water. Talk about nerve-wracking. If she left it short? Likely scribbling a frustrating bogey. Too long? Say goodbye to her title hopes as it plunks into the hazard. What impressed me? Her cool head under crazy pressure. And maybe her hairstyle, but that’s neither here nor there.
Now, the key part of her strategy was aiming that chip low—like, really low, into this little upslope, letting the ball trickle down to the hole. Bravery or genius? Possibly both. Avoiding a risky flop shot was smart, and somehow it paid off brilliantly. Won her the whole thing!
Here’s her step-by-step, though explaining this makes me realize I could never do it myself:
1. First, she used a wedge. Kept everything square without opening the face. Why does this matter? Mostly because it helps with making clean contact from the rough—not like I would actually achieve that myself.
2. Then, rather than hinge her wrists like I would (and subsequently whiff), she turned with her upper body. The clubface pointed down like it was searching for coins—important, because it keeps loft in check.
3. Her follow-through? Poetry. She turned towards her target without rushing or flipping her wrists like a spaghetti noodle, which helped glide the club smoothly.
One thought keeps echoing in my mind: she made it seem deceivingly simple. If only, right? I just hope my next game doesn’t have grandstands and water hazards—talk about unnecessary stress.
And that’s the whole wild, slightly chaotic saga. Kudos to Saigo for pulling off the unthinkable!
