Yuka Saso suffered a monumental plunge in the standings going into the final round of the ANA Inspiration tournament, the first major of the US LPGA Tour, on Saturday, April 3 (Sunday, April 4, Manila time).

Finishing the first two rounds at joint 12th place, Saso carded a 5-over par 77 in the third round as she dropped to a tie for 53rd place no thanks to a couple of bogeys and a double bogey.

The Filipino-Japanese started the day with a bogey and struggled mightily in the back nine, shooting a double bogey in the 14th hole and bogeys in the 15th and 17th holes.

It was a frustrating day for the 19-year-old, who after running in contention earlier in the tourney with a 69 and 71 in the first two rounds, respectively, tallied a 1-over par 217 overall.

Meanwhile, Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand widened her lead in the scoreboard with a 5-under 67 in the third round.

Tavatanakit proved stellar throughout the third round with 7 birdies as she heads into the final round with a 14-under par 202.

Behind Tavatanakit are American Ally Ewing and South Korean Mirim Lee, who both trail by 5 shots, and Chinese Shanshan Feng, who is 6 shots off the leader. – Rappler.com