Pinay golfers falter in Japan, US stints

MANILA, Philippines – Yuka Saso stumbled at the finish and limped with a three-over 75 but trailed a big bunch of leaders by just four strokes at the start of the Stanley Ladies Golf Tournament in Susuno City, Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan Friday.

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 rolling, 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 6572-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, one shot ahead of Player of the Year frontrunner Sakura Koiwai and five others.

Koiwai, the Golf5 Ladies champion who surged past Saso in the Mercedes ranking with a runner-up finish in Japan Open, actually threatened to dominate the opener with three birdies in the first eight holes. But she lost control and sputtered at the back, making three bogeys for a 33-39 round.

Other even par scorers were Sumika Nakasone, Lala Anai, Teresa Lu, Seonwoo Bae and Mone Inami.

In the LPGA, Ardina found the 6831-yard Aronimink Golf Club layout too long and too daunting, bogeying four of the first nine holes before dropping two strokes on the par-4 No. 10. She bogeyed the par-13 but recovered the stroke with a birdie on the par-5 No. 15 for a 39-37 card that dropped her joint 103rd.

She missed six fairways and went out of regulation 12 times, including three bunker visits that all led to bogeys, although she finished with 28 putts.

Lincicome and Tan carded identical 69s to post a one-stroke lead over Cydney Clanton and Danielle Kang of the US, Aussie Lydia Ko, Swede Linnea Strom, Carlota Ciganda of Spain, and Mexico’s Gaby Lopez.