Medal hopes dim as Pagdanganan falters; Ardina recovers

MANILA, Philippines -- The quest for Olympic gold in women's golf has reached a gripping crescendo, with two players sharing the lead, another pair just two strokes behind, and two more contenders still within striking distance.

Unfortunately, the Philippines' hopes have dimmed as no Filipina golfer remains in contention after three rounds at Le Golf National in Paris on Friday.

Bianca Pagdanganan, who had placed herself among the frontrunners with a gritty 69 on Thursday, faltered on moving day, slipping down the leaderboard with a 73. She now finds herself tied for 13th at 214.

Swiss Morgane Metraux, who had led the field, encountered a rough start on the back nine, bogeying three of the first four holes. However, she recovered with a birdie on No. 14 and finished with a spectacular eagle on the par-5 18th to salvage a 71, tying New Zealand's Lydia Ko at the top at nine-under 207.

Ko, appearing poised to take a two-stroke lead heading into the final round, missed a crucial birdie putt from 10 feet on the last hole after Metraux sank her eagle putt from 19 feet.

The Kiwi settled for a 68 but remains on the brink of redemption, having won silver at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, where South Korea's Inbee Park took gold.

American Rose Zhang had a strong front nine, shooting 33 and eagling the 14th to tie for the lead at seven-under. However, a wet double bogey on the 15th set her back. Despite the misstep, Zhang showed resilience, hitting two solid shots on the 18th to set up a two-foot eagle putt, finishing with a 67 and tying at 209 with Japan's rising star Miyu Yamashita, who also shot a 68.

Pagdanganan, who had emerged as the top Filipino contender after teammate Dottie Ardina slipped to joint 36th with a 72 in the second round, began the third round confidently. She birdied the par-3 No. 2 from 16 feet but was undone by bogeys on Nos. 4, 8, and 12, along with a missed par-putt on the 17th.

Despite a birdie on the par-5 18th, Pagdanganan finished with a one-over card, dropping seven spots to joint 13th, seven strokes behind the joint leaders.

In contrast, Ardina made a late surge, closing with an impressive birdie-eagle combination to card a 69. This strong finish moved her up six spots to a share of 24th at 217, still 10 strokes behind the leaders.

Ardina's round included three birdies on the front nine but was marred by a double bogey on the challenging par-3 16th.

Yuka Saso, a two-time US Women’s Open champion and a teammate of Pagdanganan and Ardina under the ICTSI banner, continued to struggle, matching par with a 72 but remaining far off the pace, tied for 42nd at 223.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul shot a 69 to move into solo fifth at 210, while Colombia's Mariajo Uribe carded a 71 for sixth place at 211.

World No. 1 Nelly Korda, who had suffered a quadruple bogey on No. 16 during her second round, fought back with a three-under card after 15 holes. However, the Tokyo Olympics gold medalist bogeyed the 17th for the second consecutive day and failed to gain a stroke on the closing par-5, ending with a 70 and a total of 212, tying for seventh with local favorite Celine Boutier, China's Xiyu Lin and Ruoning Yin.