Saso, Pagdanganan barely make cut; Thitikul hikes lead to 3

MANILA, Philippines -- Yuka Saso finally flashed glimpses of her old brilliance, clawing her way back from the brink to secure a weekend spot at the Women’s PGA Championship with a gritty even-par 72, even as longtime rival Atthaya Thitikul pulled away in pursuit of a breakthrough major title.

Bianca Pagdanganan also squeezed through to the weekend, though she struggled to a 76. She joined ICTSI teammate Saso and nine others at the cut line of 151, including former World No. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn (78) and rising star Rose Zhang (79).

With much of the elite field reeling from the demands of the par-72 Fields Ranch East course in PGA Frisco, Texas, Thitikul stood tall. The World No. 2 birdied her last two holes on the front side to card a 70 for a 36-hole total of 138, building a commanding three-shot lead over Rio Takeda and Minjee Lee, who tallied matching 141s after rounds of 71 and 72, respectively.

Thitikul continued to lean on her sharp long game and steady putting, hitting all but two fairways and finishing with 29 putts. Though she managed to reach just 13 greens in regulation, her short game proved enough to separate from the field.

For the second straight day, she outplayed both world No. 1 Nelly Korda and No. 3 Lydia Ko. Korda missed a short eagle putt on the ninth and settled for a 74, dropping to a share of 16th at 146, while Ko carded a 73 to fall back to tied 36th at 148.

Veteran Lexi Thompson kept her title hopes alive with a solid 70 to sit solo fourth at 142, while Chisato Iwai and Auston Kim (both with 72s) and Somi Lee (73) were locked at 143.

Saso, nearly headed for another missed cut after an opening 79, fought back with birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 following a frontside 37 marked by two birdies and two bogeys. But she stumbled again with dropped shots on Nos. 13 and 18.

Despite the miscues, her even-par 72 proved just enough to make the cut.

She showed improved control off the tee, hitting 12 fairways, though her approach game remained shaky with only 13 greens hit in regulation. Her putting also continued to be a challenge, needing 31 putts for a 37-35 round.

Pagdanganan, meanwhile, struggled to regain her rhythm after an early bogey on No. 2. She held steady with seven straight pars but unraveled on the back nine, double bogeying the 10th, bogeying the 11th and 16th, and finishing birdie-free with a 38-39 card.

Still, her two-day total of 151 was just enough to secure a spot in the weekend rounds of the $12-million major event, with the winner pocketing $1.6 million.