Saso loses touch, falls by 5 after 73

MANILA, Philippines – Yuka Saso came out firing in an expected start in the morning wave but finished in atypical fashion. 

Saso shuffled with a backside 40 and ended up with a two-over 73 to slip from joint sixth to a share of 16th halfway through the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Springfield, New Jersey Friday (Saturday, Manila time).

In a topsy-turvy day at the Baltusrol Golf Club’s Lower course that saw Irish Leona Maguire take command with a 68 for a 137 and a one-stroke lead over England’s Mel Reid, Norway’s Celine Borge and Chinese Xiyu Lin, and world No. 2 Nelly Korda and a number of fellow major champions crash out of the $9 million event, Saso put to naught an inspiring two-birdie feat at the front with four bogeys in the last nine holes, including back-to-back mishaps from No. 16 that left her five strokes off the new leader.

While it’s still a manageable task to overhaul such deficit with 36 holes remaining in the year’s second major championship on a course that puts premium on everything, Saso, the 2021 US Women’s Open titlist, rued the chance to press her bid for a second major as she lost her rhythm and putting touch on her homeward trip.

Keeping a decent 11-of-14 stint off the mound and 14-of-18 in greens-in-regulation, the ICTSI-backed ace wound up with 34 putts, a virtual no-no in such a kind of a championship.

She also struggled with 32 putts in the first round but still pounded out a two-under 69, leading to even 142 aggregate, matching the outputs of Americans Lauren Coughlin (67) and Sarah Schmelzel (68), Korean Amy Yang (69) and Swede Linn Grant (71).

Maguire also wrestled with her putter and finished with 32 putts but her sterling stint off the tee (13-of-14) which she sustained with a 16-of-18 norm to the green led to five birdies that bucked her two miscues for a 32-36 and a 137.

But Reid fired a 67, Borge carded a second 69 and Lin slowed down with a 71 as they pooled 138s, while Aussie world No. 5 Minjee Lee battled back with a 67 to tie erstwhile leader Lee-Anne Pace, who faltered with a 73, at 139 with Chinese Ruoning Yin also slipping to seventh with a 73 for a 140.

Some of the world’s top guns likewise stayed in the hunt, ready to pounce and press their respective bids in moving day Saturday (Sunday in Manila) with Korean No. 1 Jin Young Ko also failing to sustain a blistering start of four birdies in the first seven holes with a wobbly game in the last 10 holes.

The Solaire ambassador hit two more birdies but made four bogeys as she posted a 69 to join seven others, including Canadian Brooke Henderson (74) and French Celine Boutier (71), at eighth at 141, four strokes adrift of Maguire.

American rookie sensation Rose Zhang also reeled back with a 74 after a 70 for joint 29th at 144 while defending champion In Gee Chun of Korea hardly rebounded from an opening 74 with a 72 for a share of 49th at 146, nine strokes off the pace.

But Korda, winner here in 2021, bowed out with a 77 after a 76 as she ended up with a 153 in one of her worst major campaigns. Other former major champions who missed the cut at 147 were Korean A. Lim Kim (75-73), recent Chevron Championship winner Lilia Vu of the US (72-76), Swede Pernilla Lindberg (74-75), American Jennifer Kupcho (73-76), Thai Patty Tavatanakit (75-75), Sei Young Kim of Korea (73-77), England’s Georgia Hall (79-72) and Hinako Shibuno (78-75).

Thai former world No. 1 and current No. 7 Atthaya Thitikul also failed to make the grade with 75-77 while compatriot Wichanee Meechai, who wrested solo fifth with a solid 68 Thursday, bombed out with a birdie-less 80 marred by a triple-bogey, a double-bogey and four bogeys for a 148.