Fassi powers up to lead, Pagdanganan cards 69 at Pelican Championship

MANILA, Philippines — Mexican Maria Fassi used her power then flashed near-impeccable touch on the greens to overwhelm the Pelican Golf Club course and the elite field, producing an eight-under 62 for a two-stroke lead over American Lexi Thompson, Korean Hyo Joo Kim and three others at the start of the weather-shortened Pelican Championship in Belleair, Florida Friday (Saturday, Manila time).

Fassi, the LPGA Tour’s driving leader with a 279-yard clip, rattled off six birdies, including three straight from No. 5 then eagled the par-5 14th while keeping an unblemished 32-30 card to lead the stellar $2 million championship, the final regular event before the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship for the Top 60 players set next week in Naples, also in Florida.

Thompson also spiked her 64 with an eagle on No. 7 as the rain-softened par-70 layout yielded a slew of under-par scores after the scheduled first round was washed out by tropical storm Nicole Thursday, reducing the event to 54 holes.

Other 64 scorers were Spain's Carlota Ciganda, Germany's Isi Gabsa and Hong Kong's Tiffany Chan.

Yuka Saso, No. 4 in the driving derby with a 274-yard norm, gunned down four birdies but made two bogeys for a 68 and a share of 23rd while ICTSI teammate Bianca Pagdanganan, second to Fassi with a 277-yard norm, likewise hit four birdies but yielded strokes on Nos. 1, 5 and 15 and stood at joint 40th with a 69 in the company of former world No. 1 Jin Young Ko of Korea.

Saso, who rallied with a final round 65 but still ended up tied at 51st in the TOTO Classic back home in Japan last week, banked on her putting to save a pair of 34s. She finished with 25 putts after missing three fairways and eight greens while failing to rescue pars in two bunker visits.

Pagdanganan also hit 11 fairways on a 271-yard driving average and went out of regulation five times but wound up with 31 putts although she remained two strokes better that the projected cut-off score.

Meanwhile, defending champion Nelly Korda shot a 66 for joint 13th while world No. 1 Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand opted to sit out the tournament while bagging the Rookie of the Year honors with two victories and 11 Top 10 finishes.