Saso, Pagdanganan endure up-and-down start at The Annika

MANILA, Philippines — Yuka Saso looked poised for a stellar start at The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, but an uneven back nine saw her finish with an even-par 70, matching Bianca Pagdanganan’s output at the Pelican Golf Club in Florida on Thursday (Friday Manila time).

Coming off a break, Saso opened her round with confidence, firing three birdies on the first nine holes to post a three-under 32 at the turn. She seemed well on her way to a low round, but a double bogey on the par-3 12th hole disrupted her momentum.

Though she recovered with a birdie on the par-5 14th, two consecutive bogeys on the final holes left her with a disappointing 38 on the back nine, dropping the reigning US Women’s Open champion into a large group at level-par, including Jennifer Kupcho, Lexi Thompson, and Anna Nordqvist.

Despite her challenges, Saso showed precision off the tee, averaging 259 yards and missing only one fairway. However, her struggles with irons and wedges were apparent as she missed nine greens in regulation.

Still, she managed to offset some of these misses with her short game, recording a respectable 26 putts for the round.

Dottie Ardina also had a promising start, carding a 33 on the back nine with birdies on Nos. 14, 16 and 18, recovering quickly after a bogey on the 11th. However, like Saso, Ardina's round took a downturn on the front side.

A double bogey on No. 2, followed by bogeys on Nos. 7 and 8, undid much of her progress. She was left with a one-over score when play was suspended due to darkness, leaving her and other players stranded mid-round.

Ardina’s tee accuracy was solid, as she hit 13 fairways, but she missed 10 greens and finished with 27 putts.

Pagdanganan also had a roller-coaster day. Starting on the 10th, she quickly rebounded from an opening bogey with a birdie on the par-5 14th, igniting a lively stretch of golf that included five birdies offset by an equal number of bogeys.

She carded a 37-33, joining her ICTSI-backed teammates Saso at 50th place. Pagdanganan’s driving was a highlight, averaging an impressive 273 yards off the tee, with 13 fairways hit. However, she struggled with her short game, needing 31 putts to navigate the greens and failing both her bunker escapes.

At the top of the leaderboard, Jiwon Jeon and Charley Hull each posted impressive rounds of 64 to share the clubhouse lead, while Gemma Dryburgh and Mi Hyang Lee carded 65s. World No. 1 Nelly Korda led a pack of players with 66s as play was suspended.