Thai upstages Superal, leads by 1 with 69
TRECE MARTIREZ, Cavite – Chatprapa Siriprakob of Thailand put on a solid start to cushion the impact of a faltering windup, carding a threeunder 69 and wresting a one-stroke lead over Princess Superal at the start of the ICTSI Sherwood Ladies Classic at the Sherwood Hills Golf Club here yesterday.
Siriprakob, bidding to become the fourth Thai player to win on the ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour, sizzled early with three birdies in the first four holes then threatened to pull away with two more birdies on Nos. 9 and 11 as the majority of the compact field, including the country’s aces, struggled despite ideal playing condition.
But just when she thought she had the par-72 course all figured out, Siriprakob, who finished tied for third at LPGT Eagle Ridge last May and placed sixth in the last leg at Mt. Malarayat, stumbled with a double bogey on the par-5 12th, rebounded with a birdie on No. 14 but dropped another stroke on the tough No. 17th.
Still, her 32-37 card put her on top of the field in the P750,000 championship serving as the seventh leg of the LPGT put up by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.
“I had a great time playing today (yesterday). I really enjoyed it and looking forward to the next two rounds,” said the 24- year- old Siriprakob, who drove into the water on No. 12th and ended up with a 7 and then holed out with a three-putt miscue on the 17th.
Unlike Siriprakob, Superal bogeyed the first two holes in a fumbling pro debut.
“It was jitters, which is but normal for debuting pros who pack so much expectations. But it won’t take time before she recovers,” said Bong Lopez, the man at the helm of ICTSI ladies golf program.
The 19-year-old former US Girls’ Junior champion came back with a pair of back-to-back birdies from Nos. 4 and 10 then banged in a six-footer for birdie on the par- 3 16th to go three-under. But she fell short on her approach shot on the long par-4 18th and made a poor chip shot for bogey and settled for a 70.
“I’m happy and satisfied with my game. But I could’ve shot lower if not for my missed birdie chances from close range,” said Superal, who won three LPGT titles as an amateur to go with a number of feats here and abroad, including this year’s Philippine Ladies Open and the Hong Kong Amateur Ladies Open.