Saso targets revival at Meijer LPGA Classic; Pagdanganan leads Philippines' charge in Epson Tour

MANILA, Philippines, June 19 ------ Yuka Saso heads to this week’s Meijer LPGA Classic searching for something that has eluded her for much of the season — momentum.

The two-time US Women’s Open champion arrives at the Blythefield Country Club in Belmont, Michigan, determined to rebuild confidence and rediscover the form that once made her one of women’s golf’s most feared competitors after enduring a prolonged slump on the LPGA Tour.

Saso has missed the cut in each of her last four starts, including the recent US Women’s Open, the major championship she memorably captured twice. The disappointing stretch has been part of an uncharacteristically difficult campaign in which she has failed to advance to the weekend in seven of her 12 LPGA appearances.

The 24-year-old Filipino-Japanese star, whose campaign is supported by ICTSI, has remained largely quiet about the reasons behind her struggles, choosing instead to focus on the work needed to turn her season around. Her best finish so far has been a tied-for-33rd effort at the Blue Bay LPGA in China, a modest result by the standards she has set throughout her career.

Yet despite the setbacks, optimism remains. With the season entering a crucial stretch and another major championship looming next week, Saso hopes the $3.25-million Meijer LPGA Classic will provide the spark she needs to get back into contention and regain the rhythm that has been missing from her game. There may be no better venue for a fresh start.

A world-class 144-player field has assembled at the par-72 Blythefield layout, featuring six former tournament champions and six of this season’s 10 LPGA Tour winners. The championship serves as an important tune-up for next week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota, the year’s third major.

Defending champion Carlota Ciganda leads a talent-laden cast that also includes former winners Lilia Vu, Leona Maguire, Jennifer Kupcho, Brooke Henderson and Lexi Thompson. World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul headlines the field as the highest-ranked player competing this week following the decision of World No. 1 Nelly Korda to skip the event and focus on preparations for the Women’s PGA Championship. Also in contention are Hannah Green, rising English star Lottie Woad, Miyu Yamashita and Minjee Lee.

For Saso, however, the primary objective is simple: put together four solid rounds and reinsert herself into the tournament conversation. Maintaining a positive outlook despite her season-long challenges, she opens her campaign Thursday (Friday Manila time) at 1:43 p.m. on No. 1 alongside China’s Ruixin Liu and France’s Adela Cernousek.

Among the featured groups, Henderson teams up with Akie Iwai and In Gee Chun at 7:48 a.m. on No. 10, while Green, Lee and Grace Kim follow at 7:59 a.m. from the same tee. Thitikul is paired with Chizzy Iwai and Woad at 12:59 p.m. on No. 1, while Alison Lee, Thompson and Jin Young Ko tee off at 1:10 p.m., also from the first hole. Meanwhile, Bianca Pagdanganan spearheads the Philippine challenge in the Epson Tour’s Great Lakes Championship, which gets underway Friday (Saturday Manila time) at The Highlands in Harbor Springs, Michigan.

Known for her length off the tee, Pagdanganan returns to the developmental circuit looking to build momentum after a tied-for-49th finish at the US Women’s Open and a missed cut at the Dow Championship. Backed by ICTSI, she begins her campaign at 8:36 a.m. on No. 10 alongside Taiwan’s Cynthia Lu and American Reagan Zibilski. Fellow ICTSI campaigner Dottie Ardina is likewise aiming for a strong start in the 54-hole tournament. She is grouped with Spain’s Carla Escuder and American Kim Kaufman and will tee off at 8:47 a.m. from the 10th hole.

Two-time Epson Tour winner Clariss Guce starts at 1:25 p.m. on No. 10 with Americans Becca Huffer and Megan Schofill, while Sam Bruce, a former winner on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour, is set to play with Canadian amateur Addison Kartusch and Korea’s Ashley Kim at 2:09 p.m. Tomi Arejola, meanwhile, hopes to capitalize on an early draw as she tees off at 7:41 a.m. on No. 1 with American Sophia Burnett and England’s Hollie Muse.

Source: philstar.com