SUPERAL AHEAD BY 3 SHOTS
PRINCESS SUPERAL flashed impeccable touch on the greens and came away with a stirring bogey-free eight-under 64 to open a threestroke lead over three bets from Thailand in the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Manila Southwoods Ladies Championship in Carmona, Cavite, on Tuesday.
Superal actually bucked a shaky stint on the mound with superb iron shots and awesome putting, drilling in eight birdies inside 6 feet, including six in a brilliant backside stint for a personal best 34-30 card for a big cushion over Chakansim Khamborn, Punpaka Phuntumabamrung and fancied Yupaporn Kawinpakorn, who fired identical 67s in hot but near-ideal conditions.
Amateur Sofia Chabon missed catching the Thais at second with a bogey on her finishing hole at No. 9, which she overshot on a wrong club selection, settling for a 68 in a tie with Thanutra Boonraksasat and Chonlada Chayanun, also of Thailand. Daniella Uy birdied two of the last four holes at the front while Thai Tiranan Yoopan strung up three straight birdies from No. 13 as they carded similar 69s to trail Superal by five after 18 holes of the P1.5-million event serving as the sixth leg of the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour (LPGT) 2018-2019 circuit put up by ICTSI.
Former ICTSI Champion Tour champion and Philippine Ladies Amateur titlist Lee Jeong Hwa blew a solid 32 start with a double bogey on No. 12 and a bogey on the next but birdied No. 14 to save a 70 for a share of 10th with Taiwanese Yu Ning Huang and multi-titled Chihiro Ikeda, who rallied with three birdies in the last six holes. Former three-time LPGT Order of Merit (OOM) winner Cyna Rodriguez broke a run of pars with a birdie on No. 13 but dropped a stroke on No. 15 before holing out with a birdie to salvage a 71, the same output put in by Taiwanese Hsuan-Ping Chang, Thai Narisara Kerdrit, Lisa Kang of the US and Pauline del Rosario.
Del Rosario, the 2017 OOM winner, put herself in early contention with a 33 but bogeyed Nos. 10, 12 and 14, needing to birdie the par-5 17th to join 16 others who tamed the bunker-laden layout and sleek putting surface with under-par scores. None proved astounding than Superal. “I’m so happy with my putting. Although I struggled with my driving, I read it quite well on the greens,” said the reigning OOM winner, who missed two fairways, hit all but two greens and finished with the day’s best 26 putts coming off a fourth place finish in last week’s The Country Club Ladies Invitational.
But lurking behind her are three familiar faces from the country’s perennial regional rivals, including Kawinpakorn, who also turned in a solid 34-33 card in an equally strong start to her bid for a follow-up to her victory at Pradera Verde last December. The long-hitting Khamborn, on the other hand, spiked her 33-34 effort with an eagle on the par-5 14th and four birdies in a five-hole stretch from No. 5. She also gunned down two birdies at the back to negate a three-bogey mishap.
Like Superal and Kawinpakorn, Phuntumabamrung finished without a bogey, her 34-33 card sparking hopes for a crack at a first-ever championship in the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.
Teeing off at the backside, Chabon played on aggressive mode after four holes, attacking No. 14 for birdie, added two more on Nos. 16 and 17, then hit another pair on Nos. 2 and 6 to find herself among the early contenders.
But she fumbled at the finish, though she stood too far ahead of the next amateur, Sunshine Baraquiel, who matched par 72 in the tournament organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.