Saso regains touch, moves into contention with solid 63

MANILA, Philippines – Yuka Saso finally unleashed the performance expected of her on a soft course in near ideal conditions, coming away with a blistering 63 and vaulting into contention at the halfway mark of the Ford Championship now paced by Hannah Green in Gilbert, Arizona Friday (Saturday Manila time).

Leap-frogging from a tie for 75th, Saso’s solid nine-under par card at the Seville Golf and Country Club course catapulted her to joint sixth at 133, now only three strokes behind Green, who bucked sore throat and runny nose to fire an 11-under 61 for a two-day total of 130, one stroke ahead of Sarah Schmeizel and Peiyun Shien, who matched 131s after 63 and 65, respectively.

“The winds were calm this morning. With an early tee-time, the greens were pure as well, easy to read, the ball rolls easy and I think that made me putt better than yesterday (in the first round),” said Saso.

“I played really steady and gave myself a lot of chances inside 20 feet,” she added.

Saso’s exceptional round showcased her formidable skills missing in her past campaigns, making her a strong contender with two rounds left in the $2.25-million event, which has turned into a display of the elite field’s shot-making, iron precision and putting prowess.

Saso’s precision was on full display all day, hitting all fairways and requiring only 25 putts. She missed three greens but saved pars from the bunkers twice.

Yet, it was Green who stole the spotlight. The recent Women’s World Championship winner in Singapore dazzled with 11 birdies, including a six-birdie spree to close out her round, propelling her to the top of the leaderboard.

Schmeizel and Chien, however, kept her within sight while Hyo Joo Kim and Azahara Muñoz assembled identical 132s after 67 and 68, respectively.

Despite the favorable conditions leading to low scores across the leaderboard for the second straight day, Bianca Pagdanganan wasn’t as fortunate. Even though she found her rhythm and touch with a bogey-free 66, she still missed the cut by one with a 140 aggregate.

The five-under cutoff score tied for the lowest in LPGA history.

But ICTSI teammate Saso ensured her presence felt in the competition. After an initial round of 70, the 2021 US Women’s Open champion ignited her game with eight bridies, including two streaks of four consecutive feats from Nos. 11 and 2 for a remarkable 31-32 round.

She tied Lydia Ko, Caroline Masson and first round lader Pajaree Anannarukarn at sixth. Ko shot a 64, Masson carded a 65 while Anannarukarn slowed down with a 70 after a scorching 63.

World No. 1 Nelly Korda also stayed in chase of a third consecutive title as she put in a 68 for joint 10th with Celine Boutier, who carded a 69, and 10 others, setting the stage for an enthralling weekend.

Other 10-under par scorers were Lexi Thompson, who shot a 65, Jin Hee IM and Nasa Hataoka, who matched 66s, Megan Khang and Sei Young Kim, who carded similar 67s, Alison Lee, Emily Pedersen and Jenny Shin, who fired identical 68s, and Isi Gabsa and Gabriela Ruffels, who turned in a pair of 70s.

Other notables who failed to advance were Ariya Jutanugarn (70-140), A Lim Kim (70-140), Rose Zhang (71-140) and Minjee Lee (76-144). Jennifer Song hit a hole-in-one on No. 14 for a 68 but missed the cut with a 140 total.