Saso flounders in windy day, hobbles with 75 in British Women's Open

MANILA, Philippines – Yuka Saso faced another early elimination in a major, coming in ruffled by the winds and stung by a slew of bogeys that came like rain in one tormenting stretch for a 75 after 18 holes of the British Women’s Open paced by Japanese Hinako Shibuno in East Lothian, Scotland Thursday (Friday, Manil time).

Though her four-over card at the par-71 Muirfield links course was just two strokes below the projected cutoff line, the 2021 US Women’s Open champion would need to go low Friday to salvage a spot in the weekend play of the season’s last major and avert a third missed cut in a major and fifth in her last seven tournaments.

The ICTSI-backed ace actually turned in an inspiring start in the afternoon wave, eluding the roughs and birdying the par-5 No. 6. But a bogey on the next led to another and another and found herself reeling from the middle of the pack down to joint 86th on a 38-37, nine strokes off Shibuno.

She dropped shots as fast as she could record them, bogeying Nos. 6 and 7, yielding strokes on Nos. 9 and 10 and failing to salvage pars on Nos. 12 and 14. She, however, hit a superb tee-shot on the par-3 No. 16 and holed out with a birdie but missed to gain on the last par-5 on the next.

Saso has had so much hopes heading into the $7.3 million event after finishing joint 24th in last week’s Scottish Open where she closed out with a six-under 66, her best in a long while.

But conditions at Muirfield proved a lot tougher and more challenging as Saso hit just six fairways despite a subdued 252-yard driving norm. While she made the most of her approach shots that saw her miss just four greens, she groped on the tricky surface, finishing with 37 putts.

She also went 0-of-2 off the pot bunkers.

Meanwhile, Shibuno flourished in the privacy of an early tee-start, producing a 66 that featured three straight birdies from the first hole. She added five more to negate a couple of mishaps for a 32-33 that netted her a one-stroke lead over American Jessica Korda, who bucked a bogey on No. 2 with four birdies and an eagle on No. 17 for a 66.

Local bet Louise Duncan also eagled the 17th to shoot a 67 and tie Mexican Gaby Lopez at third while recent PGA Championship winner In Gee Chun of Korea set in motion her drive for a second major with a 68 for joint fifth with Swede Maja Stark, England’s Jodi Shadoof, French Celine Boutier and Aussie Minjee Lee.

Lee overcame a mishap on No. 6 with four birdies as the world No. 2 upstaged No. 1 Jin Young Ko and No. 3 Nelly Korda in the featured threesome. Korda actually set the pace with a birdie on the third and a brilliant bending eagle putt on No. 5 but the lanky American wobbled with her long game, often hitting them into the menacing roughs that led to three bogeys.

She, however, birdied the 17th to save a 70.

In contrast, Ko failed to check a poor start of three frontside bogeys, dropping two more on Nos. 11 and 14 and holing out with another mishap that put to naught her lone birdie on the 17th. She wound up with a 76 and, like Saso, is in danger of missing the cut at joint 103rd in a starting field of 144.