Bianca Pagdanganan made a fiery start at the Kroger Queen City Championship in Maineville, Ohio, producing a four-under 68 to stay within three strokes of early leader Ashleigh Buhai on Thursday.

The power-hitting Filipina birdied three of the first four holes at TPC River’s Bend, establishing herself as a contender in the $3 million event. She sustained her strong start with a birdie on the 10th, pushing her toward the top of the leaderboard.

However, a bogey on the par-3 12th temporarily stalled her momentum. She quickly bounced back with a birdie on the following hole and parred the last five to finish with a 33-35 card, one of her most impressive opening rounds on the LPGA Tour.

Pagdanganan sits tied for 12th, alongside notable names such as Sei Young Kim and Nanna Madsen, just three shots behind Buhai, who seized control of the leaderboard with a near-flawless 65.

The South African opened with birdies on four of the first eight holes, adding two more on the back nine before closing with a birdie-bogey-birdie finish for a 32-33 round.

She holds a slim one-shot lead over Jeeno Thitikul and Yan Liu, who both carded 66s.

Meanwhile, Pagdanganan’s ICTSI teammates Yuka Saso and Dottie Ardina struggled to gain momentum. Saso posted a 73, while Ardina stumbled to a 75, leaving them below the projected one-under-par cutline amid the tournament’s competitive field.

Saso, a two-time US Women’s Open champion, notched two birdies but offset them with three bogeys, finishing tied for 83rd, while Ardina, who opened with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 11 and 12, faltered with a double bogey on No. 17 and more errors on Nos. 3 and 7, ending her round tied for 121st.

Elsewhere, world No. 1 Nelly Korda, eager to bounce back from a recent final-round collapse, shot a 67 to tie for fourth alongside Lydia Ko, Leona Maguire, and Peiyun Chien.