TAIWAN, November 15 ------ Pauline del Rosario heated up with a 69 on Thursday as Mikha Fortuna cooled off with 73 to become the best-placed Filipina in the Party Golfers Ladies Open at Hsinchu County. Del Rosario emerged as the Philippine delegation's torchbearer. Starting the day at joint 23rd, the Epson Tour veteran climbed to a share of ninth place at four-under 140, thanks to three birdies in her first seven holes.
She is five shots out of the lead held by defending champion Chen Ling-jie, who fired an eagle-spiked 67, and Thailand’s Nook Sukapan, who fired a 68. At 135, the two hold a one-shot lead over another Thai, PK Kongkraphan (71). Fortuna, who began the day at eighth spot, slid to joint 32nd after struggling with a bogey-laden 75. "Birdying No. 1 gave me momentum," said del Rosario, recalling her 15-footer that jumpstarted her second round. She drilled in a nine-footer on the fifth and added another birdie on the par-5 seventh, a hole she reached in two.
Despite a misstep when she found herself blocked by a tree on the ninth, del Rosario knocked down another 15-footer for birdie on the 10th and parred the rest in a performance that put her within striking distance of the leaders. "This course is unpredictable, especially the greens, which are bumpy," she said. "So it’s anybody’s game. I just need to stay focused on my own play and tackle this course one hole at a time."
Fortuna, who had positioned herself well with a 69 on Wednesday, began her second round with a birdie on No. 4. Yet four consecutive bogeys from No. 5 derailed her bid. She salvaged her round with a string of pars on the back nine, but her 75 saw her tumble 24 spots down with a total of 141. Other Ladies Philippine Golf Tour players faced similar challenges. Chanelle Avaricio posted a 73 to drop to 39th at 145, while Florence Bisera and Mafy Singson matched par-72s and Jiwon Lee shot a 73 as the troika narrowly maded the Top 50 and ties cut with 146s.
Lois Kaye Go surged with a 70 to tie for 55th at 147, but she missed the cut by a single stroke. Junior golfer Mona Sarines, who turned heads with an opening-round 71, struggled with a birdie-less 77 to finish at 148 and also failed to advance, along with Laurea Duque (71-149), Princess Superal (72-149), Daniella Uy (77-150), Marvi Monsalve (84-159), and amateurs Lisa Sarines (80-161) and Lia Duque (84-162).
Source: spin.ph
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