Pauline del Rosario came out a bit better than Princess Superal in a wobbly frontside finish as she scrambled for a two-over 73 then watched her rival bogey the ninth to force a tie after 36 holes of the ICTSI Riviera Championship of the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour in Silang, Cavite yesterday.
Superal, who wrested a one-stroke lead over Del Rosario with a 69 in the first round Tuesday, held sway as she matched Del Rosario’s birdie on No. 10 and bogey on the 14th. But the ICTSI Riviera Invitational Challenge runaway winner at Couples wavered with bogeys on Nos. 3, 6 and 9 for a 74, enabling the 2017 LPGT Order of Merit winner, who bogeyed Nos. 1 and 8, to join her at 143.
That sealed an 18-hole shootout in the final round of the 54-hole championship today (Thursday) as the third ranked players – Chihiro Ikeda and Daniella Uy – lay six strokes behind at 149.
Although no lead is safe at the tricky Langer layout, the multi-titled Ikeda, who also carded a 74, and Uy would need to produce low rounds to spoil the Del Rosario-Superal duel.
Uy, who opened with a 74, actually pulled within Superal and Del Rosario with a frontside 34 but the former Junior World champion cracked when the going got tough at the back, bogeying five of the last eight and winding up with a 75.
Rookie Chanelle Avaricio and Gretchen Villacencio assembled identical 152s after a 77 and 78, respectively, while Abby Arevalo, who placed second to Superal at the Couples, failed to rebound from an opening 77 with a 78 for a 155.
Cyna Rodriguez, a former three-time OOM winner and LPGA Tour campaigner, also skied to an 80 for a 156 while Marvi Monsalve also shot an 80 for a 157.