Last-hole miscue stalls Saso's charge

MANILA, Philippines – Yuka Saso missed completing her big second round fightback with a last-hole mishap on No. 9 as she ended up with a 68 and barely improved from tied 36th to joint 29th after 36 holes of the Toto Japan Classic in Omitama, Ibaraki Friday.

Shiho Kuwaki put in a bogey-free 65 as she tied Nasa Hataoka, who shot a 66, in the lead at 130, two strokes clear of Chinese Xiyu Lin and two other locals, including erstwhile frontrunner Akie Iwai, who slowed down with a 69 after a 63 at the Taiheiyo Club’s Minori course.

Hataoka, whom Saso edged in sudden death to nail her first major championship in the US Women’s Open in 2021, flourished early on, birdying five of the first nine holes, including three straight to close out her frontside act.

She tripped with a bogey on the 10th but struck back on the 12th then birdied the par-5 17th for a 31-36.

But Kuwaki proved flawless, birdying Nos. 3, 5 and 7 then adding four more in the last nine holes, spiked by a birdie-birdie windup for a 33-32.

After starting out with a 69 for a share of 36th Thursday, Saso looked headed for another pedestrian round with a couple of flubbed chances and a bogey-birdie card at the back where she teed off.

But after dominating the par-5 second hole, the ICTSI-backed shotmaker hit a superb tee-shot on the par-3 No. 3, drilled in another birdie then made it a four-birdie binge.

After missing her chance on the sixth, she gained another stroke on No. 7 but after a par on the eighth for a running five-under card and eight-under overall total, she bogeyed her closing hole and finished with a 32-34 and a 137, seven shots off the joint leaders.

She actually wrestled with her driver and hit just seven fairways. But she more than made up for the struggle by reaching 15 greens and finishing with 28 putts.