Saso Survives Brutal Starts Of US Women’s Open That Sent Korda To An 80

Lancaster, Pennsylvania (AP) Former winner Yuka Saso relied on her putter to get through a brutally challenging first round of the U.S. Women’s Open on Thursday, with Nelly Korda carding a 10 on her third hole and only four players barely beating par.

Saso made three large par putts to begin the back nine at Lancaster Country Club, two medium-length birdie putts after her round, and three putts from the collar of the 18th green for bogey and a 2-under 68.

It felt even lower, given all of the violence around her. The top ten women’s world rankings had an average score of 75.5, including Korda’s 80, and only two-time major champion Minjee Lee was below par.

“It’s the US Open. It is a major. It’s the biggest major tournament, and I believe it will be one of the most challenging weeks we’ll face,” Saso remarked. “I don’t tell myself to be confident or anything like that.”

Saso | AP News Image

Saso Survives Brutal Starts Of US Women’s Open That Sent Korda To An 80

After Lexi Thompson’s meltdown, Saso won the Women’s Open at the Olympic Club by one shot over Andrea Lee, Wichanee Meechai of Thailand, and newly crowned NCAA champion Adela Cernousek of France.

Cernousek, a junior at Texas A&M, was not alone in his amateur status. Three of them were at even-par 70: Megan Schofill, Catherine Park, and 15-year-old Asterisk Talley, who won her maiden USGA title in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship.

Lee, who won her second major at the Women’s Open at Pine Needles two years ago, holed out from 15 feet off the green on the par-3 17th to return to even par.

“Just come back and try and beat the course again,” she replied.

Saso | AP News Image

Saso Survives Brutal Starts Of US Women’s Open That Sent Korda To An 80

The other of the LPGA Tour’s top talents suffered setbacks, but none were as severe or startling as Korda. Korda, the top player in women’s golf, entered at Lancaster having won six of her last seven tournaments. Three holes into her first round, she was sent reeling.

Korda hit from a back bunker into a creek on the par-3 12th hole, then pitched into the stream from the other side twice to finish with a 10. She added four bogeys over the next 15 holes and finished with an 80, tying her best performance as a professional.

“Not a lot of positive thoughts, honestly,” Korda added. “I simply didn’t play well today. I didn’t strike it well. I spent a lot of time in the rough. Making a 10 on a par 3 will do you no good at the US Open.

“Yeah,” she said, “just a bad day at the office.”

It was a difficult day for many people. Rose Zhang, who broke Korda’s five-tournament winning streak three weeks ago in New Jersey, was stunned when she walked off the 18th green with another three-putt bogey and a 79.

Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson both shot 80. The average field score was 75.2.

The wind was whirling at some of the course’s higher places, and the greens were firm and bouncy, just like the USGA likes them. The 156-player field produced just over 900 scores of bogey or worse, including Korda’s septuple bogey.

Thompson, who is likely playing her final U.S. Women’s Open after saying she will no longer play a full schedule after this year, began her back nine by traveling from bunker to bunker to thick rough and making triple bogey. She shot 78.

Saso took 5.7 shots on the field with her putter, propelling her to the lead.

“I made some really good putts.” “I believe I was more fortunate than talented,” Saso said.

She has a unique opportunity to win this week and become the only Women’s Open champion to have played under both flags.

Saso | AP News Image

Saso Survives Brutal Starts Of US Women’s Open That Sent Korda To An 80

Saso won as a Filipino at the Olympic Club and gained Japanese citizenship the next year before turning 21. A big week could put her in a position to return to the Olympics under a different flag.

That feels far away, especially after such a long day at work.

“There’s so much golf left,” Saso added. “The golf course is very difficult and the conditions are very tough, especially with the wind with it swirling and when it’s blowing 15 mph with the firm greens and fast greens.”

It didn’t hurt the amateurs, especially Cernousek. She dropped only two shots, one of which was a three-putt from 40 feet on the 14th hole, and held her composure to break par. She was shocked to see her name on every scoreboard.

“I said, ‘Wow!'” “I was watching every leaderboard on the course,” she explained.

Talley is one of Lancaster’s two 15-year-olds, and she performed admirably for her age, making wise decisions when she was out of position. Her one blunder occurred on the par-5 seventh hole when she only advanced her second shot approximately 50 yards out of the thick rough, laid up, and then landed it in the water fronting the green. She made a triple bogey.

But Talley — whose mother says Asterisk is Greek for “Little Star” — responded with a nine-hole stretch of three birdies and six pars, not dropping another stroke until the seventeenth.

“I feel like I could have done a lot better today, but I’m not mad about my round,” Talley stated. “I’m hearing that even par is a decent round today. “I wish I could have been a couple below par.”

SOURCE – (AP)