Yuka Saso turned in a respectable two-under 70 and advanced to the LPGA of Japan Tour’s second major championship in Miyakawa City in Fukuoka Prefecture on Friday.
Though she’s still eight shots off new leader Japanese Sakura Koiwai, her explosive finish enabled her to jump from a share of 47th to joint 18th – big thanks to her birdie-eagle feat at the frontside of The Classic Golf Club.
“It’s a major tournament so I don’t think it’s easy to get a score,” said Saso,
For the second straight day, Koiwai upstaged the Fil-Japanese Player of the Year frontrunner by firing a three-under 69 to wrest a three-stroke lead over Erika Hara at nine-under 135.
Koiwai could have widened her lead to at least five shots but a double bogey on the par-3, 195-yard No. 7 ruined what appeared to be a solid round early on.
Hara birdied the last two holes to salvage a 70 and a 139 while erstwhile leader Na-Ri Lee limped with a 74 after a 64 to tumble to joint third at 140 with Miki Sakai, who fired a 69.
Eri Okiyama, runner-up to last year’s champ and LPGA Tour stalwart and world No. 8 Nasa Hataoka, charged back with a 68 to jump to a share of fifth at 141 with Mizutsuki Oide, Lala Anai and Momoko Ueda, who turned in a 70, 71 and 73, respectively.
Saso managed only a 73 in the first round – a result of three bogeys against two birdies – thus making her a candidate to missing the cut.
But the two-leg winner refused to be intimidated despite dropping a stroke on the par-5 15th for a birdie-less backside 37.
She staved off elimination with a birdie on the par-3 7th before she made the day’s biggest shot – an eagle on the par-5 8th hole. She parred the final hole for that 33.
But flightmate Koiwai continued to make it look as one as the Hokkaido native shook off a bogey miscue on No. 11 with birdies on Nos. 12 and 16 before adding four more on Nos. 1, 3, 4 and 6 to seize control.
In Florida, Dottie Ardina shot a three-under 69 but was six shots off leader Aussie Robyn Choi at the start of the Symetra Classic at the LPGA International Jones course in Daytona Beach Friday.
She highlighted her round by birdying three birdies in the first 12 holes.
