J-Ro 20 shots behind LPGA Taiwan lead

JENNIFER Rosales finally broke par with a 71 but dropped farther back from Korean Inbee Park who surged past Norway’s Suzann Pettersen in the third round of the LPGA Taiwan Championship at the Sunrise Golf and Country Club in Taiwan late Saturday.

Rosales, still in search of the form that netted her two LPGA leg crowns, actually headed for a big finish after hitting three birdies in a four-hole stretch from No. 13. But the many-time Philippine Ladies Open champion made a bogey on the 17th and settled for a 37-34 card.

With a 218 aggregate, Rosales moved up joint 49th, 20 shots off Park, who fired a sizzling 64 to snatch a two-stroke lead over Pettersen heading to the final round of the $2 million event.

Jayvie Agojo, the top ICTSI-backed amateur bet, who gained a berth here by topping the recent qualifier, blew her bid for an under-par finish, bogeying the last three holes for a 73 for a 228.

Park gunned down two eagles to spike her sizzling eight-under 64 for a 198 although Pettersen stayed within sight with a 66, spiked by a pair of three-birdie strings from Nos. 4 and 13 for a 200 aggregate.