Guce battles back to make Epson Tour cut, but Ardina, 3 others fall

MANILA, Philippines — Clariss Guce overcame a turbulent mid-round stretch with a late birdie surge, rescuing a one-under 71 to secure a berth in the final round of the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship at The Medalist Golf Club in Michigan on Saturday (Sunday Manila time).

While the US-based Filipina advanced in the 54-hole Epson Tour event, she faces a steep uphill climb as Guce stood nine strokes off the pace of new leader Lauren Nguyen of the US, who fired a 66 to wrest a one-shot control of the leaderboard at 134.

China’s Xiaowen Yin slowed down with a 69 after a 66 to slip into second place at 135, while Kaleiya Romero made it a wide-open, three-way shootout for the final 18 holes after carding a 67 for a 136.

A dense leaderboard remains in hot pursuit, including Jenny Coleman (67-137), alongside Sung Hyun Park and Becca Huffer, who both matched 138 totals after a pair of 68s, guaranteeing a final-round battle of power and wits.

After opening with a 72 on Friday, Guce initially gained great inroads on the front nine with birdies on Nos. 2, 5 and 8. However, just as she seemed to have the course figured out, trouble struck on the back nine. She stumbled with back-to-back bogeys from No. 10, and a costly double-bogey on the par-5 13th threatened to derail her weekend.

Showing veteran resilience, the two-time Epson Tour winner bounced back with consecutive birdies from No. 15 to salvage her 71, placing her tied for 29th at 143.

The rest of the Philippine contingent, however, failed to find their rhythm and missed the weekend cut line at 145.

Dottie Ardina, whose campaign is supported by ICTSI, failed to rebound from an opening 73, posting a birdie-less 74 for a 147, while Tomi Arejola squandered an opening 72 with a tough 78, despite a late flurry of three birdies over her final four holes to finish at 150.

Pauline del Rosario also missed the weekend after hobbling with a second 77 for a 154.

Over on the LPGA Tour, the South Korean tandem of Hye Jin Choi and Hyo Joo Kim fired a gutsy, one-under 69 in challenging winds to claim the solo lead at 10-under 200 in the Dow Championship at the Midland Country Club.

They hold a slim one-shot lead over the American pair of Gina Kim and Yana Wilson, who hung tough with a level-par 70 to sit at 201. Former UCLA teammates Alison Lee and Lilia Vu remain well within striking distance at 202 after a 69, setting the stage for an explosive final-round showdown in the LPGA's lone official team event.

Meanwhile, the star duo of newly crowned US Women’s Open champion Nelly Korda and Germany's Olivia Cowan saw their title hopes fade. After threatening the lead with a sensational 60 in Friday's best-ball format, they struggled heavily in Saturday's alternate-shot format, tumbling to a tie for 13th at 206 after a disappointing 76.