MANILA, Philippines -- Bianca Pagdanganan fought back from an early setback in the third round of the Maybank Championship, carding a hard-earned one-under 71 to remain in contention amid a fierce battle led by a trio of top-ranked stars in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.
After a promising birdie on the opening hole of the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club’s West Course, Pagdanganan stumbled with a missed green on the second and a costly double bogey on the par-5 fifth, which she birdied in the previous round.
The slip pushed her outside the Top 10, as Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul, China’s Ruoning Yin and Korea’s Haeran Ryu surged into a three-way tie for the lead on strong starts.
Despite her early struggles, Pagdanganan rallied to regain ground. She fired birdies on Nos. 9, 12, 13 and 15, clawing her way back to joint 12th with a total score of nine-under 207 heading into the final round of the $3-million championship.
Seven strokes behind the leaders, the ICTSI-backed Pagdanganan remains hopeful for a strong finish and a shot at the Top 10 in the first of two LPGA Tour events in Asia.
At 16-under 200, Thitikul, Yin and Ryu closed the third round with impressive scores, setting up a thrilling showdown. Thitikul dazzled with a near-albatross on the par-5 third, tapping in for eagle before posting birdies on the ninth and a three-birdie run on the back nine to card a brilliant 64.
Not to be outshined, Yin fired four consecutive birdies from the third and finished with a flawless 32-34 round, while Ryu kept pace with a solid 32-35 card, securing her place in the leaderboard tie.
Meanwhile, Yuka Saso rebounded from a challenging second-round 75 with a determined 68, climbing back to a share of 25th at 209. Starting from the back nine, the reigning US Women’s Open champion birdied three holes before gaining two more shots on the front, only to falter with a late bogey on the par-3 eighth.
With one round remaining, Pagdanganan, Saso and the rest of the field will aim to leave a strong mark on the 72-hole championship. For Pagdanganan and Saso, also supported by ICTSI, a low-scoring Sunday will be key to challenging the leaders, boosting her confidence, and building momentum ahead of next week’s Toto Japan Classic in Shiga, Japan.