CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Korean golfer Tiffany Lee surged into a commanding four-stroke lead after firing a bogey-free, five-under-par 67 on Tuesday, October 13, at the ICTSI Pueblo de Oro Championship.
Lee completely erased a five-stroke deficit in the ₱1.25-million Ladies Philippine Golf Tour event, capitalizing on a back-nine collapse by overnight leader Yvon Bisera to move within 18 holes of ending a two-year title drought.
Bisera, who opened with a superb 68, looked firmly in control early on. However, the momentum shifted dramatically when she suffered back-to-back double bogeys on the 10th and 11th holes.
She ultimately limped home with a 76, dropping to a 144 total and handing Lee a massive advantage heading into Wednesday’s final round.
Lee attributed her stellar performance to accurate iron shots and a timely equipment adjustment. On her father’s advice, she switched from a 10-degree driver to a 9-degree model to combat the windy course conditions.
“My putting was excellent today, and I hit a lot of greens in regulation, so I’m really happy with how I played,” Lee said.
“It was windy out there, and changing drivers gave me more distance. That meant shorter clubs into the greens, which was a big key to my low score,” she added.
Despite her clean scorecard, Lee faced a critical test on the par-5 15th hole when an aggressive 3-wood second shot landed her in an awkward lie. Demonstrating resilience, she successfully scrambled and drained a remarkably long putt to save par.
“I was really feeling the pressure, and I nearly made a big mistake on No. 15,” Lee recounted. “I went for the 3-wood instead of playing it safe and hooked the shot. I thought the ball had gone into a hazard, but I found it in a bad lie. I just played out and tried to get it as close to the green as I could.”
“Fortunately, I made it to the green and sank a very, very long putt for par. That was the turning point for me,” she noted.
Following that crucial escape, Lee birdied the 16th hole to secure a two-day total of 140. She now stands on the brink of capturing her first championship since turning professional in 2024.
Meanwhile, Bisera will look to overturn her four-stroke deficit in the final 18 holes. Further down the leaderboard, Gretchen Villacencio (71) and Martina Miñoza (75) share third place at 149, sitting nine strokes off the pace.