Pagdanganan stumbles with 77; Ko takes charge after 67

MANILA, Philippines — Bianca Pagdanganan's strong momentum from the previous round came to a screeching halt on moving day at the FM Championship, plummeting from a share of second place to a tie for 26th with a five-over 77 at the TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts on Saturday (Sunday Manila time).

Former World No. 1 Jin Young Ko took charge of the field with a 67 spiked by back-to-back closing birdies.Pagdanganan, who was brimming with confidence after a blistering 66 on Friday that catapulted her within six strokes of halfway leader Hae Ran Ryu, struggled to find her rhythm from the outset.

After bogeying the third hole, she dropped two more strokes on the next and added another bogey on the par-5 seventh. While the ICTSI-backed shotmaker managed to fight back with birdies on Nos. 9, 10 and 12, her round unraveled once again, culminating in a bogey and a disastrous double bogey to finish.

With a 214 total, Pagdanganan, who narrowly missed a podium finish with a tie for fourth in the recent Paris Olympics, now finds herself trailing Ko by nine shots heading into the final 18 holes of the $3.8 million inaugural championship.

Ko seized control of the tournament with a stellar five-under card, capitalizing on Ryu’s putting woes. The Solaire ambassadress birdied the first two holes and finished strong with birdies on the last two to post a 205 total. She also added two more birdies to negate a lone bogey on the 15th, taking advantage of Ryu’s faltering play.

Ryu, who had been in the mix along with Ko, Thai star Jeeno Thitikul, Lauren Coughlin, and Carlota Ciganda at one point, was undone by a three-putt bogey from just three feet on the par-5 12th. She never fully recovered, dropping another stroke on the following hole and finishing with back-to-back bogeys.Coughlin's 69 placed her two shots behind Ko at 207, while Ciganda and Allisen Corpuz, who both fired 67s, and Thitikul, who shot a 68, were another shot back at 208.

Ryu's rough start, including double bogeys on Nos. 1 and 4, set the tone for a difficult day. The Korean, who had a six-stroke advantage over Pagdanganan, Robyn Choi and Yealimi Noh after 36 holes, bogeyed the sixth hole as well, opening the door for several players, including Corpuz and Alessandra Fosterling, to join the chase.

Although Ryu managed to regroup with birdies on Nos. 7, 9 and 10, her disastrous meltdown on No. 12 weighed heavily on her confidence and chances.Pagdanganan, who played alongside Ryu, also struggled to find her form. Despite averaging an impressive 293 yards off the tee, she missed seven fairways and failed to hit the greens in regulation eight times, leading to two bogeys from bunkers. She ended her round with 28 putts.

Meanwhile, Dottie Ardina posted a second straight 72, placing her in a tie for 58th at 217.In Indiana, Clariss Guce rallied with a 68 to stay in contention at the Four Winds Invitational, now led by Yahui Zhang at the South Bend Country Club.Guce, a two-time Epson Tour winner, carded five birdies against a bogey, putting her at a 36-hole total of 139, four strokes behind Zhang, who surged ahead with a 65 for a 135 total.

Brooke Matthews is just one shot behind Zhang at 136 after a 71, while Lauren Stephenson’s 70 placed her at 137, setting up a tightly contested final round.Tomi Arejola made the cut with a two-over total of 146 despite a 74, but finds herself well off the pace in a tie for 45th. Unfortunately, Pauline del Rosario missed the cut with a 74, finishing at 147.