Yuka Saso crashed into the top 20 of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics women’s golf tournament, while Bianca Pagdanganan continued to fall in the standings on Friday, August 6, at the Kasumigaseki Golf and Country Club.

Saso, who ended the opening round at joint 47th, jumped another 14 rungs to head into the final round at joint 20th.

The 2021 US Women’s Open titlist, who started from the back nine, bogeyed the 10th hole, but bounced back with birdies in the 3rd, 8th, 12th, 17th, and 18th holes to end the round with a four-under par 67.

As Saso enters the final round with a total of four-under par 209, she is now 11 strokes away from tournament leader and world No. 1 Nelly Korda of the US, who blitzed to a 15-under par 198 to solidify her hold on top.

Meanwhile, Pagdanganan dropped two places to joint 29th, but managed to salvage her back nine that was marred by a couple of double bogeys, ending the round with par 71.

She made back-to-back birdies in the 5th and 6th holes, but had a staggering performance in her last nine holes with birdies in the 10th, 13th and 18th, double bogeys in 11th and 14th, and a bogey in the 15th.

The Filipina golfers and boxer Carlo Paalam are the only Filipino athletes left in the running in the Tokyo Games as their campaigns come to a close on Saturday, August 7.

Overnight leader by four strokes, American Korda carded a two-under 69 to lead by three from India’s Adidti Ashok (68), who is making a big surprise in the Tokyo Games.

With the threat of a tropical storm brewing, organizers have brought tee times forward on Saturday morning in the hope of completing the final round.

If the round is unable to be completed, the tournament will revert to the 54-hole results.

Korda rolled in three early birdies but a bogey on the par-five 8th stalled her momentum on another sweltering day.

Though not playing her best, she was a model of control as she notched 10 consecutive pars on the way to the clubhouse.

In her second Olympics, and with her mom carrying her bag, world No. 200 Ashok played superbly, rolling in a birdie on the 17th to take outright second and put some pressure on Korda.

Rio champion Park Inbee’s hopes of defending her title all but ended with a 71, leaving her 12 strokes adrift of Korda.

China’s first major winner Shanshan Feng shot a 68 to be eight behind the leader. – with a report from Reuters/Rappler.com