Thai hit two late birdies at the front to turn in a plucky three-under 69 in wet, windy conditions, catching Japanese Mayuna Furukawa at the helm at the start of the ICTSI Pradera Ladies Classic at the Pradera Verde Golf and Country Club in Lubao, Pampanga yesterday.
The brave 91-player field from at least nine countries, including some of the leading campaigners on the LPGA of Taiwan and the cream of the country’s pro crop, endured two delays due to rain spawned by Typhoon Falcon with the power-hitting Furukawa leading the assault on the par-72 layout with chip-in eagles on the two par-5s at the front.
She went five-under with back-to-back birdies from No. 12 against a bogey on the 10th but lost her poise in tough conditions with bogeys on two of the last three, including the last, a par-5 hole, to settle for that three-under card.
That enabled Chayanun, who teed off at the backside, to gain a piece of the lead as the Thai, still in pursuit of a breakthrough victory on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour, gunned down three straight birdies from No. 11 and recovered a three-bogey, one-birdie card in the next seven holes with back-to-back birdies from No. 6 to match Furukawa’s 69 in the early going of the $80,000 event that was played under summer rules.
But six churned out identical 70s, including local bet Daniella Uy, four others carded similar 71s, led by Princess Superal, while seven matched par 72s at the bunker, hazard-laden layout which played longer than its 6,346 in soft conditions, ensuring a wild chase for top honors in the last 36 holes of the event put up by ICTSI and sanctioned by TLPGA.
Despite her shaky finish, Furukawa, 22, said she “played pretty good” and looked forward to contending for the crown and improving her joint 29th finish in the ICTSI Manila Golf Ladies Classic last April.
“I like the course, I’m used to playing in this kind of condition,” said Furukawa from Nagoya Prefecture, who chipped in for eagle from 48 yards off a superb 5-wood second shot from 200 yards on No. 3 (529 yards). After a missed green bogey on No. 7, she knocked down another eagle from 36 yards off another solid drive on the 510-yard No. 9 and a 7-iron second shot from 190 yards.
But she wavered at the finish, three-putting No. 16 from 60 feet and failing to rescue a par from the bunker on the last.
Chonlada, who had contended for a number of LPGT titles but still looking for that strong finishing kick, sizzled early with those three-birdie binge but stumbled with missed green bogeys before recovering her form at the finish.
“The course is perfect and it suits to my liking,” said Chonlada.
Uy, runner-up at Royal Northwoods last April, actually made the turn with an impressive four-under effort, spiked by a three-birdie string from No. 11. But the former Junior World titlist stumbled with two bogeys in the last five holes at the front and dropped to joint third with Thais Wad Phaewchimple and Pimpadsorn Sangkagaro, former LPGT leg winner Ching Huangand fellow Taiwanese Hsuan Ping Chang and amateur Yu-Chiang Hou, winner of the TLPGA Ladies Open last year.
Superal, taking a break from Japan LPGA Step Up Tour, flashed top form with a three-birdie, one-bogey card after 11 holes. But the former LPGT Order of Merit winner struggled a bit from unreceptive greens, missing a couple of birdie chances and dropping a stroke on No. 17 to slip to joint ninth with Thai Trichat Cheenglab and Taiwanese Ai Chen Kuo and Shih Chen Hsuna.
Manila Golf Classic winner Arpichay Yubol opened with a pitch-in eagle on No. 10, birdied the 18th and went four-under with another birdie on No 3. But she slipped with back-to-back bogeys form No. 5 and holed out with a double-bogey in the rain for a 72 in a tie with compatriots Saraporn Chamchoi, Mookharin Ladgratok, Dolnapa Phudthipinij and Wanchana Poruangrong and two-time LPGT leg winner Hwang Ye Nah of Korea.
The other fancied bets, however, groped for form with Tagaytay Midlands winner Chihiro Ikeda and defending champion Yupaporn Kawinpakorn hobbling with 74s and stood behind five players with 73s, including Waralee Atcharerk, Southwoods leg winner Thanuttra Boonraksasat, Taiwanese Chen Hsuan, Meechai Kusuma and Preenaphan Poomklay.
Pauline del Rosario also failed to get going with a roller-coaster backside start of three bogeys against two birdies at the front, dropping another stroke on No. 4 and double-bogeying the seventh before closing out with a birdie for a 75, six shots off the joint leaders in the event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and backed by Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, K&G Golf Apparel, BDO, Sharp, KZG, PLDT, Empire Golf and Sports and M.Y. Shokai Technology Inc.
