Bianca Pagdanganan couldn’t sustain a hot start and ended up stumbling with a two-over par 74 in the penultimate round of the KPMG Women’s Open Championship in Sammamish, Washington on Sunday, June 23 (Manila time).

Pagdanganan, after a pair of 72 in the first two rounds, went off to a promising start at the Sahalee Country Club, hitting two birdies on the first six holes but only to stagger with back-to-back bogeys at the eighth and ninth holes.

Everything continued to go downhill for the 2020 Tokyo Olympian from there as she dropped two strokes in the first four holes of the back nine. A birdie on the par-3 17th, somehow, kept her hopes alive but a bogey to end the third round virtually dashed all of her chances to contend for the title in the final round.

Pagdangan had a total of 218, plummeting to a share of the 25th after three rounds and eight shots off overnight co-leader Amy Yang who solidified her bid with a 71 for 209 to take a solo lead heading into the final stretch of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Fil-Japanese Yuka Saso just couldn’t catch a break after faltering to a 77 for 226 – an even worse showing than her 74-75 in the first two rounds.

A pair of double bogeys on the first six holes on the back nine where she started spelled doom for the two-time US Women’s Open titlist. She never recovered and could only muster a birdie against two bogeys to end the round at joint 64th.

Pagdanganan and Saso, despite the struggles, both look to end the tournament strong in the final 18 holes and carry some sort of momentum heading into the next LPGA event and eventually in the Paris Olympics where the two are poised to qualify.

Not too far behind Yang was Lauren Hartage who catapulted herself from the ninth to second after firing an impressive 69 for 211, highlighted by three birdies and a bogey-free third round. 

She was in tie with Miyu Yamashita who carded a 70 for 211 to keep in pace while former co-leader Sarah Schemelzel slipped to the fourth after a 74 for 212 although remained very much in contention for the crown.