Yuka Saso got off to a shaky start and ended up shooting a two-over-par 74 in the second round of the Mizuno Americas Open in Jersey City, New Jersey on Friday.
The 21-year-old Filipino-Japanese bogeyed 1 and 5 before making her first birdie on 7.
She started her homeward trip with a double bogey on the par-5 10th hole and made back-to-back birdies from 12 before hitting a birdie on 15.
On 1-under 143, Saso was in a tie for 24th, six shots behind pacesetting Minjee Lee and Cheyenne Knight.
Allisen Corpuz, an American whose father is a Filipino, carded a 74 to make the cut on the number.
Lee fired eight birdies to grab a share of the lead alongside Knight.
She roared out of the gate with birdies at the first three holes, and was six-under at the turn after birdies at the fifth, eighth and ninth.
The world number five added birdies at the 10th and 12th for a 36-hole total of seven-under par 137.
Knight joined her with a 68. The American teed off on 10 and was even par through her first nine after two birdies and two bogeys.
She, too, birdied the first through third holes, and capped her round with her sixth birdie of the day at the ninth.
The leading duo had a one-shot lead over world No. 3 Lydia Ko of New Zealand, who carded a 69 for 138.
World No. 1 Ko Jin-young of South Korea waited out a late weather delay to post a 66 and head a group on 139 that also included sixth-ranked Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand, No. 8 Brooke Henderson of Canada, India’s Aditi Ashok and Rose Zhang — the 20-year-old American making her pro debut after dominating the amateur ranks for the past two years.
The weather was no trouble for early starter Lee, who turned things around after a one-over 73 on Thursday.
“I didn’t really feel like my score reflected how I played yesterday, so I just came in with a positive attitude,” she said.
“I knew there was probably going to be less wind this morning, so just tried to take advantage of the good conditions that were given to me.”
She hit 10 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens, needing 24 putts in her impressive second round.
