Saso trails Korean by 2 with 70

MANILA, Philippines — Back in the groove, Yuka Saso is back in the hunt, bucking a shaky windup to save a 70 and trail Korean Bae Seon Woo by two at the start of the Fujitsu Ladies 2020 at the Tokyu Seven Hundred Club in Chiba Prefecture, Japan on Friday.

The Fil-Japanese, out to snap a five-tournament spell following back-to-back victories last August, actually poised herself to grabbing the first day honors in the Y100 million championship after going three-under after 13 holes. But she fumbled with a bogey on the 14th and three-putted the par-5 No. 16 for par.

The ICTSI-backed ace, however, closed out with spectacular par-saves to salvage a backside 36 for that 70 and a share of seventh with eight others, including Player of the Year frontrunner and rival Sakura Koiwai and flightmate Asuya Kashiwabara, in the 54-hole tournament offering a top purse of Y18 million (P8.3 miliion).

The 19-year-old money race leader likewise kept her domination of veteran Momoko Ueda, who actually recovered from a pair of bogey mishaps with birdies on Nos. 7 and 11 to rescue a 72.

Woo, 24, who lost to Mone Inami in a playoff in last week’s storm-hit Stanley Cup, rattled off three birdies at the front before adding another in the last nine holes for a bogey-free 68 and a one-stroke lead over former champion Teresa Lu and four others.

Lu, who hit two birdies against a bogey at the front, gunned down three birdies at the back to tie for the lead. But the veteran campaigner bogeyed the closing hole to slip to joint second at 69 with Kana Nagai, multi-titled Mamiko Higa, Inami, and Akira Yamaji, who spiked her 36-33 card with an ace on the 171-yard No. 17.

The power-hitting Saso, who placed no better than joint eighth since sweeping the NEC Karuizawa and Nitori Ladies diadems to yield the Player of the Year lead to Koiwai, birdied the par-3 No. 4 and the next two par-5s (Nos. 7 and 10) to get into the early mix.

But after three straight pars, she overshot the 14th green off another booming drive and chipped short from the ankle-deep rough. She chipped again and canned in a five-footer for bogey.

Looking to regain the stroke, she reached the par-5 16th green in two off a superb second shot that landed on the edge of the sloping green below the pin. She putted to within three feet but misread the line to her dismay.

She then hit her tee shot into the left rough of the par-3 17th but chipped to within four feet to save par then drove to the adjacent fairway of No. 18, her view to the green blocked by a thickly forested hill.

After hitting a blind approach shot, she eagerly ran back to the fairway, only to find her ball in the thick rough before greenside bunkers. But she chipped to within three feet and made the putt.

Over in Florida, Dottie Ardina battled back from two early backside bogeys with birdies on Nos. 15 and 18 then parred the frontside for an even-par 73, five strokes behind Finland’s Matilda Castren at the start of the Mission Inn Resort and Club Championship at the Mission Inn and Resort Club course in the Howey-in-the-Hills Thursday.

Ardina proved quite steady off the mound, hitting all but two fairways but struggled with her iron game, missing six greens and ending up with 30 putts for a share of 19th.

Castren fired an eagle-spiked 68 to open a one-shot lead over Scot Gemma Dryburgh in the 54-hole $125,000 event of the Symetra Tour while Fil-Am Clariss Guce limped with a 76.