Avaricio goes 8-under for 5-shot lead at Pradera Classic 1st round

CHANELLE AVARICIO broke out with a tour record-setting seven-under frontside romp then recovered from a couple of mishaps at the back with three birdies in the last five holes to fire an eight-under 64 and post a whopping five-stroke lead over Pamela Mariano at the start of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Pradera Verde Ladies Classic on Wednesday in Lubao, Pampanga.

A pair of three-birdie binges from Nos. 1 and 5 and another birdie on the ninth for a stirring 29 set Avaricio’s title drive in motion and left flightmates Martina Miñoza and amateur

Kayla Nocum in awe while driving an early wedge between her and her fancied rivals in the 54-hole championship serving as the sixth leg of the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.

She credited her solid putting on her early surge then kept her composure when things had started to turn a little bit shaky at the back.

“I played really good and it had a lot to do with my putting, especially on the frontnine,” said Avaricio, who spiked her superb start with a chip-in feat from around 18 feet on No. 6.

“I struggled at the back but the whole day, I had a steady long game and then my putts just kept on dropping,” she added.

It was easily the best frontside performance by any player in the 10-year history of the Ictsi-backed tour and her mastery of the well-kept Pradera Verde layout in humid day eclipsed the previous best of 67s posted by Princess Superal and Thai Pimpadsorn Sangkagaro in the 2017 and 2018 editions, respectively, of the event.

More importantly, it gave her a big five-shot cushion that could be too tough for the rest to overcome.

But there are still 36 holes left for the likes of Mariano, Chihiro Ikeda, Harmie Constantino, Sarah Ababa and Sunshine Baraquiel to mount a challenge on a course that could yield low scores for one day and high for the next especially if the winds come into play.

Avaricio, however, is keen on sustaining her form in pursuit of a third championship in the last five tournaments she laced up with a couple of runner-up finishes at Mt. Malarayat and Splendido Taal.

“I’ll try to play as steady and hope that my putts will drop like today (yesterday),” said the winner at Hallow Ridge and Caliraya Springs stops of the Pilipinas Golf tournaments, Inc.-organized circuit.

“She played near-perfect,” said Miñoza, who birdied two of the last seven holes to save a 75, while Nocum, who made double bogeys on a couple of par-3s and bogeyed the last two holes for a 78, described Avaricio’s round as “amazing and fantastic.”

Mariano, playing in a threesome ahead of Avaricio’s,