Sarah Ababa is protecting a one-stroke lead against erstwhile co-leader Chihiro Ikeda going into Thursday’s final round of the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour ICTSI Iloilo Golf Challenge.

She leaned on a strong back-nine for a two-under 68 Thursday, taking the top spot despite starting the second round with one-shot deficit.

“My putting clicked, and I played more relaxed with my father on the bag,” said Ababa in Filipino.

“There’s pressure when I miss shots or putts, but I turned that into a positive by improving on my mistakes.”

The turning point for Ababa came on the greens, crediting her father, former Tour player Edgar, who served as her caddie.

While acknowledging that his presence adds pressure, she emphasized that it also helped her focus.

The Davaoeña faced an early setback with a double bogey on the second hole. However, Ababa’s experience and determination shone through as she recovered with a birdie on the par-3 fifth hole.

While many of her competitors faltered on the challenging back nine of the par-70 course, Ababa stayed composed and hit consecutive birdies from No. 12, followed by another on the last hole to cap off a solid back nine of 31.

This pushed her to a 141 aggregate, just a stroke ahead of Ikeda, who matched par 70 for a 142.

Ababa’s form has been elusive in recent LPGT tournaments, but she now looks in control while eyeing a follow-up to her two-stroke victory over Mafy Singson at Apo last March.

Heading into the final round against Ikeda and Princess Superal, Ababa isn’t concerned about her flightmates.

Meanwhile, Ikeda, who co-led after the first round alongside Mikha Fortuna, Gretchen Villacencio and Chanelle Avaricio, salvaged a 70 despite a bogey on the 14th and remained optimistic about her chances to break her title drought, which has lingered for some time.