Ardina storms to joint Symetra lead with 68

Dottie Ardina put on a scorching start then checked an impending skid with a lasthole birdie to fire a 68 and grab a share of the lead after three rounds of the Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Classic at The Links at Stoney Point Golf Club in Greenwood, South Carolina Saturday.

In search of her form following a series of mediocre starts in the LPGA and Symetra Tours, Ardina finally unleashed a fiery fivebirdie binge after 13 holes then bounced back from two late bogeys with a birdie on the par5 18th, moving 18 holes away from a dream breakthrough on the Symetra Tour.

“It feels great because I moved up and I really played well,” said Ardina, who missed the cut at the Lotte Championship and placed tied for 68th in the Volunteers of America, both LPGA Tour events.

“I had some hard times reading the greens and their speed. I just tried to hit the fairways, the greens and try to make a putt,” said the ace Filipina shotmaker, who lay too far behind the leaders at joint 17th with back-to-back 72s after 36 holes of the $200,000 championship.

But she strung up three straight birdies from No. 4, added two more on Nos. 12 and 13 before losing her momentum with bogeys on Nos. 14 and 16. She, however, regained her bearing and birdied the 18th for the second straight day to tie the tournament-best fourunder card.

With a 212 aggregate, Ardina shared the lead with Swede Jenny Haglund, who shot a 69, and American Vicky Hurst, who slowed down with a 71, guaranteeing a fierce showdown for the crown in the last 18 holes.

A shot behind at 213 are Janie Jackson and Katelyn Sephmoree, both of the US, who carded a 70 and 72, respectively, while Kim Welch, also of the US, matched par 72 for a 214.

Mia Piccio, the other Filipina who made the cut, hobbled with a 76 and slipped to joint 52nd at 222.

Ardina, whose best finish on Symetra Tour was a tie for second in the 2015 Four Winds Invitational, is itching to nail the elusive win on the circuit and hopes to sustain her form as she slugs it out with Haglund in the final pairing. Hurst will take on Jackson in the other featured final round pair.