Filipina – Japanese pro Yuka Saso overcame a dreadful front nine to steady the ship with an opening 73 at the Amundi Evian Championship in Evian Les Bains, France on Thursday.
Starting on the back nine of the Evian Resort Golf Club, Saso stumbled out of the gates with a pair of early bogeys then double bogeyed the short par-4 17th to go to +4. She bounced back with a birdie on the par-5 18th then poured in 12-foot birdie putt on hole one.
On hole 6 she dribbled in a seven footer for another birdie to get to +1. Saso parred out the last corner.
As of the writing of this post Saso’s countrywoman Ayaka Furue leads with a 64 in the first round, eight under par. Brooke Henderson and Nelly Korda are a stroke back.
Filipina-Korean-American Allisen Corpuz was one-under with a hole to play in her first round when this post was shared. Held along the banks of Lake Geneva, the Amundi Evian Championship is the fourth of five majors in the ladies golf calendar. Aussie Minjee Lee is the defending champ.