Saso fights back with 69; Pagdanganan falls

MANILA, Philippines – Yuka Saso charged back with a three-under 69 to advance but remained too far off the pace as Swede Madelene Sagstrom and American Rose Zhang delivered impressive rounds to pull away by four halfway through the Cognizant Founders Cup in Clifton, New Jersey Friday (Saturday Manila time).

Battling through a challenging stint off the tee, where she only hit five fairways, and went out of regulation six times, Saso managed to salvage her round with 29 putts, resulting in a four-birdie, one-bogey performance at the Upper Montclair Country Club.

Although Saso safely secured her spot for the weekend play with a two-under 142 aggregate for joint 29th place, the ICTSI-backed shotmaker found herself trailing the joint leaders by 11 strokes going to the last 36 holes of $3 million championship.

Sagstrom and Zhang fired 66 and 68, respectively, to storm ahead at 13-under 131,  four strokes clear of history-seeking Nelly Korda, whose 66 and a 135 put her on track for a sixth straight championship start.

Sagstrom banked on a solid frontside 31 to cushion the impact of a rollercoaster backside finish of 35 that featured an eagle and two birdies but marred by a double bogey and a bogey.

Zhang, on the other hand, gunned down five birdies but missed grabbing the solo lead with a bogey on No. 16, settling for a 32-36, spiked by a 27-putt performance.

But focus will be on Korda, whose bogey-free 32-34 hinted at the coming off an explosive weekend for the hottest player on Tour, who has been in scintillating form with five consecutive tournament victories, including the season’s first major, the Chevron Championship, in Texas last month.

The reigning Olympic gold medalist took a much-deserved break in the JM Eagle LA Championship then resumed her campaign with a 69 that featured four birdies against a bogey Thursday.

Meanwhile, Bianca Pagdanganan faced an uphill battle, rallying with a 72 after a 75, but falling short with a three-over 147 total, two strokes behind the cutoff line. She actually eagled the par-5 No. 12 and birdie the 18th, but slipped with three bogeys for a 37-35.