Bianca Pagdanganan looked poised to make the biggest move of Moving Day before a shaky back nine stalled her charge, leaving the long-hitting Filipina with plenty of ground to recover – but still within striking distance of a strong finish – in the Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship in Connecticut on Saturday (Sunday Manila time).
After igniting hopes of a breakthrough on the Epson Tour with a scorching front-nine attack, Pagdanganan lost momentum over the closing stretch and settled for a two-under 69, slipping into a tie for 11th at 210, seven shots behind surging leader Christine Wang.
Starting the third round tied for 17th and four strokes off the lead, the ICTSI-backed campaigner wasted little time climbing the leaderboard. She birdied four of her first seven holes on the par-71 Golf Club of Avon layout, briefly moving within a stroke of the lead and putting herself squarely in contention.
It was the kind of explosive run that hinted at a career-defining Moving Day.
But the back nine told a different story.
After making the turn with consecutive pars, Pagdanganan bogeyed the 10th before dropping another shot on No. 12. She managed to steady herself with pars the rest of the way, but a birdie-less inward 37 erased much of the momentum she had built and turned what could have been a serious title charge into a frustrating missed opportunity.
Still, Pagdanganan remains well-positioned to salvage a strong finish. With 18 holes to play, only three strokes separate her from a place inside the Top 4, giving the Filipina every reason to mount another aggressive charge on Sunday and boost both her finish and confidence heading into the closing stretch of the Epson Tour season.
Dottie Ardina, who began the day tied with Pagdanganan, also struggled to sustain her challenge.
The Olympian birdied two of her first six holes but surrendered a stroke on the eighth before enduring another difficult inward nine. Three bogeys over her last five holes resulted in a one-over 73, dropping her into a tie for 33rd at 214.
Tomi Arejola, meanwhile, quietly made up ground with a one-under 70, improving to a share of 39th at 215.
While several contenders stumbled on the back nine, Wang did just the opposite.
After matching Pagdanganan’s hot start with four birdies over her opening seven holes, Wang capped her round in spectacular fashion by holing out for an eagle on the par-4 17th en route to a 66. Her late flourish broke a crowded five-way tie atop the leaderboard and gave her a three-shot cushion at 203.
Mirabel Ting produced the round of the day with a sizzling 64 to tie Cynthia Lu, who carded a 68, for second place at 206.
In England, Miguel Tabuena continued to battle inconsistent putting as another frustrating round left him well off the pace in LIV Golf UK at the JCB Golf and Country Club.
The Filipino ace matched his opening-round 73 with another one-over card to drop to tied for 52nd at four-over 220 after 54 holes.
Despite producing five birdies, Tabuena repeatedly undid his good work with six bogeys, many of them stemming from missed par-saving putts inside 10 feet. His putting woes have persisted throughout the tournament, preventing him from capitalizing on solid ball-striking and keeping him from mounting any meaningful climb against a field that continued to feast on the par-72 layout.
At the top, Lucas Herbert stayed on course for a second LIV Golf title of the season. Winner of LIV Golf Virginia last May, he fired a three-under 69 to maintain a three-shot lead at 20-under 196.
Bryson DeChambeau remained Herbert’s closest pursuer after a 68 lifted him to 199, while Tyrrell Hatton carded a 67 to sit five shots back at 201 entering Sunday’s final round.