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Saso defends with 70 but leaves 8 adrift
MANILA, Philippines – In danger of missing the Japan Women’s Open weekend game, Yuka Saso did what she does best, coming out with an explosive rope to fire a 70 and safely advance to the second major LPGA championship of the Japan tour in the city of Miyakawa. in Fukuoka prefecture on Friday.
Although she fell too far behind (8 strokes) of new leader and arch rival Sakura Koiwai, her latest birdie-eagle outburst in front of The Classic Golf Club increased a score of 33-37 that lifted her from a previous career spot. tied 47 to part of 18 with the top 60 heats moving to the final 36 holes of the Y112.5 million championship.
Koiwai, however, eclipsed the fil-Japanese player of the year for the second day in a row, as the Golf5 Ladies champion maintained a brilliant 66 opening with a three under 69 to snatch a three shot lead over Erika Hara at nine under 135. ..
The 22-year-old Koiwai could have gone 5 up, but a double bogey at par 3, 195-yard number 7 on a rare four-putt error allowed a slew of bidders to stay at striking distance. Hara birdied the final two holes for a 70 and a 139, while former leader Na-Ri Lee limped on a 74 after a 64 to drop to third place at 140 with Miki Sakai, who shot a 69.
After a 35 backside, Koiwai birdied four of the first six holes to get away from Saso and then cut an 8-iron eight yards to the upper right side of the pin at No. 7. But wary of passing the cup, she He came too short from his first downhill hit. The next one passed the cup and needed two more putts to hole out on a 5.
“I was shocked. I couldn’t hit him properly,” lamented Koiwai, who nevertheless managed to place a large mattress for the fundamental third round.
Impressive with an eight-under card that grabbed the lead and no bogeys in Thursday’s morning game, a record for the longest field (6761 yards) in JLPGA Tour history, Lee did it miserably at a late start, losing. six bogeys against two birdies for 74.
Eri Okiyama, runner-up to last year’s stalwart LPGA Tour champion and world No. 8 Nasa Hataoka, charged back with a 68 to jump to a fifth-in-141 appearance with Mizutsuki Oide, Lala Anai and Momoko Ueda, who it delivered a 70, 71 and 73, respectively.
After a regular 73 of two birdies, three bogeys in a late first round period, Saso expected a big rebound with a change at tee-time. But NEC champion Karuizawa and Nitori Ladies kept struggling with her balky putter, even hitting at par 5 15 for a butt 37 with no birdie.
But after a series of six pairs up front, Saso birdied at par 3 No. 7 to avoid elimination and then made the next par 5 before hole out with a pair for that 33.
“It’s an important tournament, so I don’t think it’s easy to get a score,” said Saso, who collected 143, the same output from Ayaka Furue (70), Chie Arimura (72) and Ayaka Watanabe (69). among others.
But his flight partner Koiwai continued to make him look like one when the Hokkaido native shook off a ghostly mistake at No. 11 with birdies at No. 12 and No. 16 before adding four more at No. 1, 3, 4 and 6. to take control.
In Florida, Dottie Ardina pulled a 69 three-under card to follow Australia’s Robyn Choi by six at the start of the Symetra Classic at LPGA International Jones Field in Daytona Beach on Friday.
The Canlubang pro hit a shaky start streak on both the LPGA and Symetra Tours with three birdies over the first 12 holes and then recovered a lost shot at No. 16th with another birdie on 18th to complete a 35-34 round for a part of 19th with seven others in the 72-hole tournament serving as preparation for next week’s third LPGA major, the PGA Championship. Female in Pennsylvania.
United States-based Clariss Guce also made a great three-birdie outing on the first seven holes to shoot a 70 for the whole 27.
Choi dominated the par 72 layout with a moving feat of nine birdies, highlighted by three in a row from No. 12 when she took a one-shot lead over Taiwanese Peiyun Chien and three shots ahead of American August Kim, Ana Belac de Slovenia and Italian. Roberta Liti.
Ardina missed just one fairway and failed to reach regulation four times, but she finished with 29 putts and kept her 69 with a par rescued from the bunker.
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