Coming into the ShopRite LPGA Classic in good form, Mao Saigo had one of the highlights of the year in round two at the Seaview Bay Course in Galloway New Jersey.
After starting par-bogey on the first two holes, and sitting well back of the lead at -3, Mao Saigo stepped up to the par 5 third hole needing to make something happen. She converted well, making an albatross 2 with her seven wood to immediately get down to -6.
From there, Saigo was cruising, adding birdies on 5, 8, 9, 12 and 18 while only dropping one more shot. She finished with a -6 65 that got her to -10 for the tournament, just one back of the lead after the morning wave.
Saigo, who won her first major this year at the Chevron Championship and finished T4 at the U.S. Women’s Open, is part of a growing youth movement from Japanese golfers on the LPGA Tour. She hit eight fairways, 15 greens and had 28 putts.
The big story of the week, Ilhee Lee, who would be one of the most unexpected winners in tour history, continued to play well posting -3 to sit at -11 with one round to play. She leads by one after the morning wave despite a double bogey on her second to last hole of the day. The putter and scrambling continues to be strong for Lee who is trying to win on Tour for the first time in over a decade. Because of flooding in the Bahamas, she won her first tournament in only 36 holes, so a 54-hole victory would be a huge accomplishment.
The second round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic is ongoing this afternoon.
