FIL-Japanese Yuka Saso shot a one-over 73 but still found herself climbing to 12th spot Saturday in the third round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Bethesda, Maryland.
Ms. Saso, who occupied 14th after the first 36 holes, mixed three birdies with four bogeys on a day of tough scoring at the Congressional Country Club Blue Course to bring her total to one-under 215.
The 20-year-old former US Women’s Open titlist stood seven strokes off Korean pacesetter In Gee Chun, who herself struggled and carded a 75, while staying within a shot outside the Top 10 finish.
Ms. Saso was actually at one-under for the day but limped with a pair of closing bogeys to settle for 36-37 in a round where she hit only 12 of 18 greens.
It was also a tough outing for Bianca Pagdanganan, who only managed a birdie against three bogeys and a double bogey for a 76.
Ms. Pagdanganan fell 10 places to 64th with her 54-hole tally of seven-over 223.
South Korea’s In Gee Chun remains the runaway leader of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, as she holds a six-shot lead after Friday’s second round at Bethesda, Md.
Chun, up by five after the first round, carded a 3-under-par 69 on Friday at Congressional Country Club to add a stroke to her advantage. She sits at 11-under 173 at the tournament’s midpoint.
New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, who shot a second-round 67, and Jennifer Kupcho, who carded a 68 on Friday, are tied for second at 5 under.
Caroline Inglis (second-round 68), Jennifer Chang (70), South Korea’s Sei Young Kim (69), Australia’s Hannah Green (69) and Canada’s Brooke M. Henderson (69) share fourth place at 4 under.
Lexi Thompson, whose 67 matched the low round of the day, is tied for ninth. She is joined at 3 under by Australia’s Minjee Lee (68), China’s Xiyu Lin (68), South Korea’s Hye-Jin Choi (72) and Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum (72).
Chun began and ended her round well. She birdied three of her first five holes but gave back two strokes with consecutive bogeys at Nos. 7 and 8. After a birdie at No. 10, she made seven straight pars before birdieing the 18th hole. — Olmin Leyba, with reports from Reuters
