Lee fights back, up by 4
CAGAYAN DE ORO — Tiffany Lee turned a five-shot deficit into a commanding four-stroke lead in a stunning reversal of fortunes, firing a bogey-free 67 to seize control of the ICTSI Pueblo de Oro Championship on Tuesday and move within 18 holes of ending a two-year title drought.
In a dramatic turnaround at the P1.25-million Ladies Philippine Golf Tour event, the young Korean capitalized on Yvon Bisera’s back-nine meltdown, transforming a seemingly comfortable deficit into a commanding position heading into Wednesday’s final round.
Lee, who opened with a 73, surged from five shots behind with a two-day 140, while Bisera, the overnight leader after a superb opening 68, saw her lead evaporate in a disastrous stretch that featured back-to-back double bogeys. She limped home with a 76 for a 144, leaving her four strokes behind the player she had comfortably led through the first 18 holes.
It was a remarkable reversal on a course that demands resilience at every turn — and one that proved unforgiving when Bisera’s game began to unravel.
Bisera appeared firmly in control early, recovering from two opening bogeys in the first round to reel off six birdies and build a four-shot cushion over Sarah Ababa. She looked poised to consolidate that advantage Tuesday, matching Lee’s early charge with a steady frontside 35 as the Korean scorched the front nine in 32.
But the momentum swung violently at the turn.
Bisera suffered costly double bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11, while Lee kept her card clean with routine pars, suddenly vaulting into a two-shot lead. The overnight leader could not arrest the slide, managing six consecutive pars before dropping another stroke on the 18th for a disastrous 76.
Lee, meanwhile, kept her nerve and refused to give the course — or the pressure — an opening. She birdied No. 16 for the second straight day and closed with a five-under card without a bogey, completing an eight-stroke swing from Bisera’s opening-round advantage.
“My putting was excellent today, and I hit a lot of greens in regulation, so I’m really happy with how I played,” Lee said.
A timely equipment change also helped fuel her charge. On her father’s advice, she switched from a 10-degree driver to a 9-degree model after struggling to find the desired distance in the opening round.