Making her first cut in five tournaments, Yuka Saso turned in a subdued performance on Moving Day, carding a 71 and effectively dropping out of title contention in the Meijer LPGA Classic at Blythefield Country Club in Belmont, Michigan on Saturday (Sunday Manila time).
Although she remained bogey-free for the second straight round following a solid 68 on Friday that propelled her into weekend play after four consecutive missed cuts, Saso managed to climb only two spots to a share of 34th at 212, leaving her 10 strokes behind leader Jing Yan after 54 holes.
Yan maintained her grip on the tournament with another flawless 68, improving to 202 overall, clinging to a one-shot lead over Lottie Woad, who also fired a four-under round for a 203 total, while Cassie Porter stayed within striking distance at 204 after a 69, setting up a three-way battle for the title in the final round.
Saso had hoped to build on the momentum from Friday, arguably her best round in months, but struggled to create quality birdie opportunities. When chances did come, she was unable to capitalize until finally sinking a birdie putt on the closing hole after a run of pars.
Despite falling well behind the leaders, the ICTSI-backed two-time US Women’s Open champion remains focused on finishing strong. More importantly, she hopes to continue regaining confidence and form ahead of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, which begins this week at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota.
Meanwhile, on the Epson Tour, Dottie Ardina cooled off with a 71 following an opening-round 69, slipping from a tie for eighth to a share of 14th at 140, seven shots behind leader Jennifer Elliott.
Elliott pulled away by three over Catherine Park after firing a 66 highlighted by three birdies over her final five holes, reaching 133 through two rounds.
Unlike her strong opening-round performance, Ardina, whose campaign is also supported by the world’s leading port operator, struggled to find consistency with both her irons and putter, offsetting two birdies with two bogeys.
A birdie on the par-3 No. 16 briefly moved her back under par for the round and raised hopes of a late charge, but she was unable to generate further momentum. Still, she remained in position to contend for a top-five or top-10 finish heading into the final round.
Tomi Arejola bounced back with a 69, while Bianca Pagdanganan recovered with a 70 as both moved into a tie for 37th place.
Clariss Guce, however, failed to advance after posting a 72 for a 145 total, while Sam Bruce improved with a 73 but still missed the cut at 150.