PAULINE del Rosario and Mikha Fortuna braced for a final round shootout as they remained tied for the lead after matching two-under 70s in the second round of the Penang Amateur Golf Open at the Bukit Jawi course in Malaysia over the weekend.
Counting their 69s in the opening round, Del Rosario and Fortuna pooled 139s to seal a duel for the crown with the former eyeing a second straight after beating the latter by eight in last week’s Melaka Amateur Open.
The Country Club teammates stood seven strokes ahead of third running Geraldine Wong, who carded a 70 in the first round but faltered with a 76 for a 146.
Vanessa Bouvet improved from a 77 with a 74 but lay 12 shots behind the joint leaders at 151. Wong and Bouvet, however, will join the Filipino duo in the championship flight of the event, a counting event for World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Del Rosario, also seeking a follow-up to her victories in the FCG at Tustin Ranch and the Ping Series leg at Irvine in the US early this year, and Fortuna gunned down four birdies each but stumbled with a couple of bogeys to stay tied for the second straight day.
New TCC members Laia Barro and Mafy Singson, meanwhile, hobbled with 85 and 87 for 169 and 175, respectively.