Ikeda tumbles down with 75

MANILA, Philippines - Chihiro Ikeda wavered coming home and fumbled with a three-over 75, tumbling down from joint sixth to a share of 17th after three rounds of the Suntory Open paced by Ahn Sun-ju and Chi Arimura at the Rokko Kukusai Golf Club in Kobe, Japan last Saturday.

Ikeda bogeyed three of the last five holes in a 36-39 round marred by seven flubbed birdie chances inside 10 feet, failing to put herself in contention heading to the last 18 holes of the annual event, the kickoff leg of the Japan Ladies PGA Tour.

With a 54-hole total of three-under 213, the top ICTSI bet dropped to the group of pros Rikako Morita, Mayumi Shimomura, Hwang Ah-reum, Yumiko Yoshida, Sakura Yokomine, Mayu Hattori and Ayako Uehara. But she remained four shots ahead of Sakura Kito, who struggled with a 76-217, in the battle for the amateur title.

Ahn fired a 67 to regain a share of the lead with Arimura, who also shot a five-under card, at 12-under 204 for a one-stroke lead over Hiromi Mogi, who turned in a 68, and second round leader Lee Ji-Hee, who slowed down with a 70, for 205s.

Ikeda, the reigning Philippine and Thailand Ladies Open champion, went seven-under overall with a birdie on No. 4 but missed birdie putts inside 10 feet in the next four holes. She hit an errant tee shot on the ninth and wound up with a bogey.

Another string of muffed birdie putts from No. 11-13 slowed her down then she made a three-putt bogey on No. 14, missed a two-footer for par on No. 16 then three-putted again on the 17th from 12 feet.