Boutier-Saso charges back with stellar 58; Pagdanganan-Ardina falls
MANILA, Philippines -- Celine Boutier and Yuka Saso made a remarkable comeback at the Dow Championship in Midland, Michigan Friday (Saturday Manila time), rebounding from a disappointing 74 in the foursomes with a tournament four-ball scoring record-tying 58.
This impressive performance propelled them from the brink of elimination to joint 22nd place halfway through the 72-hole stroke play format with alternating rounds of foursomes (alternate shot) and four-ball (best ball).
Boutier and Saso capitalized on the scoring opportunities presented by the Midland Country Club course with the former delivering an outstanding performance with 11 birdies, including an incredible streak of seven straight to kick off their second round campaign.
Saso, the reigning US Women’s Open champion whose campaign is supported by ICTSI, also managed four consecutive birdies starting from the third hole and added another on the 15th, complementing Boutier's birdies on the 9th, 10th, 12th, and 18th holes.
Their eight-under 132 aggregate lifted them to joint 22nd place, just four strokes behind the five leading teams, including the pairs of Nicole Estrup-Nanna Madsen, Grace Kim-Auston Kim, Ssu-Chia Cheng-Wei-Ling Hsu, Jaravee Boonchant-Chanetee Wannasaen, and Ally Ewing-Jennifer Kupcho, who all posted 128s.
Meanwhile, the Philippines' Olympic-bound duo of Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina rallied with a 66 in four-ball but ended with a total of 142, missing the cut by nine strokes.
Boutier and Saso’s 58 tied the record set by Jin Young Ko and Minjee Lee in 2019, marking the seventh round in the 50s since the tournament's inception.
“I think we both had opportunities, birdie chances on each hole, and so we knew we could both be aggressive with our putts because we knew the other one also had a chance,” said Boutier. “In that way, we really helped each other out, and she also helped me a lot on the reads, so I definitely felt more confident with the lines and stuff like that, so that helps, also.”
Boutier, who will defend her title at the Evian Championship in France on July 11-14, hopes to build on this stellar performance with Saso as they shift back to the alternate-shot format,
