Avaricio fumbles in 2nd round, but keeps Pradera Classic lead
CHANELLE AVARICIO checked an early stumble with a big backside charge but lost her momentum at the finish, bogeying two of the last three holes to hobble with a three-over 75 but still stayed four strokes clear of Chihiro Ikeda in a topsy-turvy second round of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Pradera Verde Ladies Classic on Thursday in Lubao, Pampanga.
Avaricio turned from nearflawless to flawed with three bogeys in the first seven holes while fighting off a bout with heartburn, enabling Ikeda to rally from seven down and threaten to within one with a three-birdie roll after six holes in another scorching day here.
But Avaricio, who posted a Tour record of eight-under 64 in a sterling start Wednesday, pounced on Ikeda’s bogey slips linking both nines of the well-maintained Pradera layout and recovered from another miscue on No. 11 with birdies on Nos. 12 and 15, only to falter with bogeys on Nos. 16 on a three-putt miscue and 18 on a failed bid off the bunker.
But that hardly mattered as Ikeda also bogeyed the 16th and ended up with a 72 while erstwhile second-running Pamela Mariano limped with a 75 marred by three bogeys in the last eight holes, enabling Avaricio to go into the final round of the P750,000 championship put up by ICTSI virtually unscathed.
With a five-under 139 total, Avaricio kept Ikeda, who pooled a 143, at bay as she moved 18 holes away from extending her impressive run of exploits on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour where she won twice and posted a couple of runnerup efforts in the last four legs.
“I struggled at the front, mostly on my to-the-green shots and unlike yesterday (Wednesday), my putts weren’t dropping,” said Avaricio, who, despite the three-over card, still zeroed in on a third championship this year after edging Princess Superal in sudden death at Hallow Ridge and repelling Ikeda by one at Caliraya Springs.
The former Alabama State U product placed second to Ikeda at Mt. Malarayat and shared runner-up honors with Sunshine Baraquiel and Harmie Constantino at Splendido Taal, won by amateur Mafy Singson.