Saso on the brink despite late rally for 71 in Amundi Evian Championship

MANILA, Philippines – Yuka Saso charged back with a solid frontside finish to salvage an even-par 71 but will need a lot more push to at least make the weekend play of the Amundi Evian Championship paced by a surprised leader in Ayaka Furue in Evian-les-Bains, France Thursday (Friday, Manila time).

Saso overcame a wobbly backside start in the afternoon wave marred by two bogeys and a double bogey on No. 17 but a birdie on the par-5 18th sparked some kind of a run for the 21-year-old ace who has gone winless since scoring a major breakthrough in the US Women’s Open last year.

With the Japanese leading the assault on the soft Evian layout with a stirring eight-under 63 for a one-stroke lead over fancied Nelly Korda of the US and Canadian Brooke Henderson, Saso stood at joint 64th with 19 others who will be fighting for the last berths in the Top 70-plus cut ties along with those a shot or two below the projected cutoff score after 36 holes of the $6.5 million championship.

Ranged against the world No. 3 Korda and Celine Boutier of France in one of the featured flights, Saso, who has dropped to No. 20 in the world ranking with mediocre finishes in her last few tournaments, struggled with her long game and irons, yielding strokes on Nos. 11 and 13 and falling farther back with a double-bogey on No. 17.

But she birdied the 18th and got her putting clicking to gain strokes on the first hole and on the par-4 No. 6, which, at first, she thought she would miss from six feet. She actually moved ahead for a tap-in but the ball hit the edge of the cup and dropped to Saso's delight.

She also holed out with a birdie on No. 9.

As the ICTSI-backed ace wavered early, Korda turned in an impeccable game from tee-to-green, birdying Nos. 12, 13, 15 and 17 from close before adding three more at the front, including off a solid iron tee-shot on the par-3 No. 5 that rested two feet off the cup. 

She, however, chipped strong from an uphill lie on the right side of the ninth green, the ball rolling past the hole and she needed two putts to hole out.

Korda missed joining Furue at the helm after the latter surprised the elite field with her brilliant fightback from a bogey on No. 13 with a cluster of birdies — four in the next five, before dominating the frontside with five more birdies on her way to a 25-putt performance.

Korda finished with 30 putts, but was awesome with her iron play, missing just one green after hitting 10 fairways.

Henderson, meanwhile, spiked her 64 with an eagle on No. 9 and gunned down six birdies to negate her lone mishap on the eighth for a share of second with Korda.

World No. 1 Jin Young Ko shot a 65 for joint fifth with Lydia Ko and three others behind solo fourth placer Cheyenne Knight, who fired a 65, while former world No. 1 Sung Hyun Park and fellow Korean and recent PGA Championship winner In Gee Chun led the 67s scorers, who include Anna Nordqvist and Nanna Madsen,

Thai ace Atthaya Thitikul also put herself in early contention with a 68 in a tie with Sei Young Kim and six others although defending champion Minjee Lee also groped with a three-birdie, two-bogey card for a 70 for joint 39th, seven strokes off the pace.

With an early second round tee time, Saso, who has missed the cut thrice in her last five tournaments, hopes to rebound from her 8-of-13 stint off the mound and 13-of-18 in regulation and at the same improve on her putting after a 30-putt performance.