MANILA, Philippines – Yuka Saso checked a rollercoaster frontside start with a birdie on No. 10 as she carded a one-under 71 to trail Americans Michaela Morard and Andrea Lee by four at the start of the stroke play elims of the US Women’s Amateur at the Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Mississippi Monday (Tuesday, Manila time).
It was way off the 65 she dished out in kicking off her bid in the US Girls’ Junior at SentryWorld qualifiers, which she dominated in Wisconsin last month. But it was enough to put her in joint 11th with 10 others in the 156-player field chasing the 64 slots in the knockout phase.
Eager to make up for her failed bid in US Girls’ Junior where she reached the semis, Saso went to work early with a birdie on the par-5 No. 2 but bogeyed No. 4 and dropped two strokes on the par-4 No. 8 that negated her birdies on Nos. 7 and 9.
Making the turn at even-par, she birdied the 10th, another par-5, but flubbed a couple of birdie putts to settle for that 71 in a tie with Annabell Fuller of England, Auston Kim, Kenzie Wright, Bethany Wu, Remington Isaac and Allisen Corpuz of the US, Chinese Sophie Guo, Japan’s Rino Sasaki, Aussie Doey Choi and Cory Lopez of Mexico.
Lei Ye of China, winner of this year’s US Girls Junior, birdied the last two holes to save a 73 for joint 34th while American Jillian Bourdage, who ousted Saso in the semis in US Girls, hit two birdies but had one bogey, a double bogey and triple bogey and in danger of missing the cut at joint 86th with a 76.
Morard, who bowed out in the Round of 32 in Wisconsin, birdied the last four holes to fire a 67 and share the first day honors with Lee, who gunned down five birdies at the back where she teed off, including the last three, as the duo took a one-stroke lead with Lauren Hartlage, also of the US, who shot a 68, with Swiss Albane Valenzuela, Taiwanese Ya Chun Chang and Americans Morgan Baxendale and Megan Schofill turning in identical 69s.