Pinay bets sag in Japan, falter in US
MANILA, Philippines — Yuka Saso stumbled at the finish, limped with a three-over 75 and trailed a big bunch of leaders by four strokes at the start of the Stanley Ladies Golf Tournament in Susuno City, Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan yesterday.
Na-Ri birdied two of the last 11 holes to turn a one-over par card into a one-under 71 that proved enough to shove her into the lead with six others as the rest struggled at the challenging Tomei Country Club course in the foothills of Mt. Fuji.
Over in the US, Dottie Ardina and Bianca Pagdanganan fumbled in windy conditions and finished with 76 and 77, respectively, to fall way below the Top 80-plus ties cutoff line in the $4.3 million KPMG Women’s PGA Championship paced by American Brittany Lincicome and Malaysian Kelly Tan, in Pennsylvania Thursday.
Saso, out to snap a string of mediocre finishes after scoring back-to-back victories at NEC Karuizawa and Nitori Ladies last August, jumped the gun early on fancied rivals Ai Suzuki and Erika Hara in one of the featured flights in the Y100 million event with a birdie on No. 5.
But the ICTSI-backed ace hobbled in the face of the daunting tests at the 6,572-yard layout, bogeying Nos. 6, 8 and 9. She missed a couple of birdie chances at the back but finally hit another birdie on No. 14, only to drop strokes on Nos. 15 and 17 for a 38-37 card.
That sent the JLPGA money race leader tumbling to joint 31st although Hara, winner of the Japan Women’s Open two weeks ago, and Suzuki, a 16-time circuit champion, fared worse with 76 and 78, respectively.
Lee, who dished out top 5 finishes in JLPGA’s first two majors, made two bogeys against a birdie in the first five holes but gunned down birdies on Nos. 8 and 13 to gain a share of the lead at 71 with Mayu Hamada, Hina Arakaki, Naruha Miyata, Miyu Yamashita, Saki Asai and Miyu Shinkai.
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