MANILA, Philippines — Germany’s Sophia Popov dished out an impeccable all-around game to fire an eagle-spiked 67 and storm ahead by three as Dottie Ardina faded with a 76 despite near-ideal conditions at Royal Troon in the third round of the British Women’s Open in Scotland Saturday.
Popov spiked her dazzling performance with a solid drive on the par-4 No. 5 that landed and rolled to within 12 feet for eagle then went on to hit all the greens, birdying Nos. 12 and 17 for a 34-33 that put her closer to a dream victory at 209.
Ardina, who marked her first two rounds with strong starts, wobbled early this time, making three bogeys against a birdie in the first four holes. She parred the next five but lost her touch and focus with another three-bogey mishap in the first four holes at the back.
She birdied the difficult par-3 17th but yielded a stroke on the closing hole for a pair of 38s, dropping her to joint 64th at 14-over 227. The Canlubang pro missed six fairways and eight greens and ended up with 33 putts.