Ilas pulls away by 5; Superal stays 1 off

Bernice Olivarez-Ilas put on another gutsy round in tough conditions, saving a one-over 73 to storm to a five-stroke lead over Winnie Ng of Malaysia even as Princess Superal stayed one shot off Ashley Lau in the second round of the Ambank-Sport Excel International Junior Championship in Rawang, Malaysia late Wednesday.

Ilas came through with brilliant recoveries in the last six holes, salvaging pars thrice inside seven feet and came away with a 37-36 for a 36-hole aggregate of 147, counting the 74 in the rain-halted opener of the girls’ 13-14 category.

Ng, who kept the top The Country Club bet within sight with a 75 Wednesday, failed to match Ilas’ scrambling finish and limped with a 77 to fall to 152, enabling the Filipina ace to pull away by five with 18 holes left in the annual event featuring the leading jungolfers in the region.

“Bernice has shown some maturity in her game by not forcing the issue. And it rewarded her with a big lead,” said TCC coach Bong Lopez, who also remained confident of Superal’s chances in her side of the tournament.

“To keep it on the fairway is the main thing at Templer. At least, a good setup on the approach will create birdie chances,” said Ilas.

Lu Yuen also fumbled with a 77 and fell farther back at 160 for third while Noraisha Alisa stood at 161 after an 80 and Thai Phanchalika Arphamongkol bowed out of contention with an 83 for a 162.

Superal, meanwhile, failed to sustain her charge, flubbing a couple of birdie chances in the last seven holes to settle for a 72 and a 146, still one stroke behind Lau, who also matched par 72 for a 145 heading to the final round of the centerpiece 15-18 division.