Early spark fades as Saso slips back into struggles at Chevron
MANILA, Philippines — Yuka Saso showed a brief flash of brilliance but ultimately fell back into familiar struggles, hobbling with a two-over 74 in the first round of the Chevron Championship at the Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston, Texas on Thursday (Friday Manila time).
The two-time US Women’s Open champion came out sharp, birdying two of her first three holes to spark hopes of a turnaround following a series of missed cuts. But the early momentum quickly faded as bogeys on Nos. 5 and 7 wiped out her gains.
A shaky back nine — marred by three more bogeys against one birdie — sent her tumbling down the leaderboard.
Instead of building on her bright start, Saso once again struggled to sustain form, finishing tied for 80th and staring at the possibility of another missed cut — an all-too-familiar outcome in her recent run of tournaments.
With the projected cut hovering at one-over par, Saso still has a window to recover in the second round. But she will need a composed and consistent effort to reverse a troubling trend that has seen her falter after promising openings.
In stark contrast, Nelly Korda delivered a commanding major-like performance, firing seven birdies for a seven-under 65 to seize a two-shot lead over Patty Tavatanakit and Somi Lee, who both carded 67s in a strong start to the $9-million championship.
A pack of contenders, including Yan Liu, Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, Yuri Yoshida and amateur Farah O’Keefe, posted 68s, while Ina Yoon, a Solaire ambassadresss, stayed within striking distance with a 69 despite a rollercoaster round of six birdies against a double bogey and a bogey.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul, also coming off a layoff, matched Saso’s 74 after struggling with inconsistency, while World No. 3 Hyo Joo Kim turned in a 70 for a share of 18th.
Saso and Thitikul now face a critical second round, both needing strong performances to climb into the Top 65 and ties and keep their campaigns alive.
Meanwhile, in the Epson Tour, Dottie Ardina and Pauline del Rosario resume their campaigns at the IOA Championship in Beaumont.
Ardina, coming off a tie for 23rd in Orlando, launches her drive on No. 10 at 7:33 a.m. alongside Hailey Borja and Samantha Vodry. Del Rosario, meanwhile, looks to bounce back from back-to-back missed cuts after a strong joint ninth place finish at Atlantic Beach Classic earlier this season.
They are joined by fellow Filipinas Sam Bruce, Clariss Guce and Tomi Arejola in the $200,000, 54-hole tournament at the Morongo Golf Club.
- Latest
- Trending
