Bae holds on to LPGA lead in Mexico as Pagdanganan falls to joint-18th

MEXICO CITY, Mexico — Jenny Bae was unable to make the most of a strong start to the third round of the LPGA Riviera Maya Open but held on to a one-stroke lead heading into the final round.

The 23-year-old rookie started with three straight birdies but was unable to capitalize on that momentum, finishing with a one-under 71.

Bae’s impressive start was followed by a bogey on the par-four sixth but the back nine proved challenging as she had to settle for pars before ending with bogey on the final hole.

"I was definitely a little nervous and tense heading into the third round," Bae admitted. "The three birdies back-to-back-to-back were a big confidence booster for me (but) I didn’t finish as well as I wanted to, but that's OK. It just tells me I need to fight more in the last 18 holes."

Chasing closely behind Bae are Japan's Chisato Iwai and China's Zhang Yahui, who both shot four-under 68s on Saturday to climb to a tie for second at six-under.

Zhang said she simply focused on conserving pars on tougher holes while being aggressive on scoring opportunities.

"I just wanted to save all the pars. If the hole was difficult, I aimed to keep it on the fairway and on the green. But for par-fives or shorter par-fours, I would really try to make birdies," she added.

Iwai, meanwhile, delivered one of the cleanest rounds of the day, bouncing back from a second-round 74 to put herself firmly in contention.

Her 68 included four birdies, capped by a pair on the final two holes.

Australia’s Gabriela Ruffels sits alone in fourth after a steady 71.

A cluster of players, including Lindy Duncan, Brianna Do and Germany's Aline Krauter, shared fifth at four-under.

Filipina Olympian Bianca Pagdanganan, though, shot an even par in the third round but dropped to tied-18th. 

Through three rounds, she has a -2, tied with four others. 

After the first round, Pagdanganan shared the lead.