
Yuka Saso finished with a three-under par 68 to move up in the leaderboard while Bianca Pagdanganan fell out of the top 10 with an even-par 71 in the second round of the of women’s golf in the Tokyo Olympics Thursday, August 5 at the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama, Japan.
Saso, the 2021 US Women’s Open champion, improved from her opening round of three-over-par 74 that saw her finish tied for 47th place. The 20-year-old Saso submitted birdies on 6 and 8, but bogeyed on 5.
She now has a two-day total of 142 - tied with four other golfers including 2016 PGA Women’s Championship Brooke Henderson of Canada, who also shot a second round 68.
Pagdanganan, on the other hand, dropped from joint seventh place after the first round, where she carded a two-under 69, to tied for 27th to 29th spots with Perrine Delacour of France (70) and Albane Valenzuela of Switzerland (69) after her 71.
The 23-year-old Pagdanganan birdied on 5,6and 9, but had back-to-back bogeys on 7 and 8.
All three are at 140, 11 shots behind leader Nelly Korda of the USA, the world No. 1 in women’s golf who followed her first round 67 with a 62 - a bogey free day highlighted with an eagle on 6.
Korda, who has 129, enjoys a four-shot advantage on three players at 133, Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Emily Kristine Pedersen, and Aditi Ashok of India.
Pagdanganan will tee off on the first flight at 7:30 a.m. with Albane and Celine Boutier of France, while Saso is with Henderson and Mexico’s Gaby Lopez at 7:59 a.m. fight.