YUKA FIRES 70, TRAILS BY 6
TODAY I HAD REALLY GOOD SHOTS OVERALL.
Yuka Saso birdied a pair of par-5 holes on her way to an opening round of two-under-par 70 in the Women’s Scottish Open at the Dundonald Links in Ayrshire, Scotland Thursday. The 20-year-old Filipino-Japanese, bouncing back from a missed cut in the Evian Championship in France, started strong with two birdies in the first five holes, but settled for one birdie against one bogey the rest of the way.
She birdied 5 and 14, both par-5s, and the par-4 second hole. Her only bogey came on 8.
Saso sits on joint 32nd, six shots behind Korean leader Hye-Jin Choi who had one eagle and seven birdies against a bogey
Choi fired a course record of 64 to storm in front at the end of the first day. The 22-year-old began her round with two pars before making a bogey on the third hole, but after that she found her rhythm and rolled in an eagle on the fifth.
Choi then made three consecutive birdies on holes seven through nine before adding four more on her back nine including on the 18th to reach eight-under-par.
“Today I had really good shots overall,” said the leader. “But more than my shots, my putter was very good, so I had a lot of chances. I just made birdies when I got the chance and I played well with a good attitude on the rest of my holes.
“I had a lot of birdies. I made some really good putts today, so I just believed in my green-reading and just hit it. That really worked and all the balls hit the middle of hole. That helped me to keep up my confidence.”
Three players are tied for second place just one shot back with France’s Celine Boutier, American Lilia Vu and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko all on seven-under-par.
It was a bogey-free day for Boutier, who rolled in four birdies on the front nine and three on the back nine and contended with the heavy mid-afternoon rainfall.
It was a little bit of everything,” said the three-time LET winner. “It was calm all day, but then there was a part in the middle that was really kind of crazy and the wind started picking up, too. Then it was really calm at the end.
“I think my putting was really solid all day. I feel like even when I missed greens and stuff and I had maybe five- or six-footers for par, I would make them. It was really helpful to get my putting today.”
“It’s my first time playing this course. I was kind of a little bit unsure what to expect. You just really have to go with the flow and it’s kind of nice because you just don’t have any expectations.”
I HAD A LOT OF BIRDIES. I MADE SOME REALLY GOOD PUTTS TODAY, SO I JUST BELIEVED IN MY GREEN-READING AND JUST HIT IT. THAT REALLY WORKED AND ALL THE BALLS HIT THE MIDDLE OF HOLE. THAT HELPED ME TO KEEP UP MY CONFIDENCE.