Three Thais forge ahead but Dottie Ardina lurks behind

LUBAO, Pampanga, Philippines — Ornicha Konsunthea picked herself up from a disastrous triple-bogey mishap with three late birdies to salvage a 71, Pimpadsorn Sangkagaro closed out with three birdies in a row to fire a 67 and Yupaporn Kawinpakorn stayed on track for a third Ladies Philippine Golf Tour crown with a plucky 69.

But as the Thais continued to run the show in the ICTSI Pradera Verde Ladies Classic and shared the lead at five-under 139 after two rounds here yesterday, Filipina ace Dottie Ardina kept them within sight, putting in a bogey-free 70 to threaten within one heading to the final 18 holes of the P1 million championship serving as the second leg of the 2019 Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.

“Everything is good, including my irons, short game and putting,” said Sangkagaro, who started the day at joint 12th with 72 but moved into contention with three birdies after 13 holes in another windy day at the Pradera Verde layout. The Chiang Mai native bogeyed the 14th but birdied the last three inside 15 feet to take a step closer to snapping a two-year title spell on the LPGT.

Though they failed to match the 29-year-old Sangkagaro’s sizzling finish, Kawinpakorn and Konsunthea both made their charge at the backside of the flat but demanding layout with Kawinpakorn birdying two of the last seven for a 34-35 and Konsunthea hitting three birdies in the same stretch to save a 35-36 on her 22nd birthday.

As the Thais pressed their respective bids for the crown, Ardina stayed at the background but pulled within at 140 for solo fourth, guaranteeing a fierce battle for the top P250,000 purse in the 54-hole event.

She rued failing to move past the country’s perennial regional rivals with four muffed birdie putts from 10-15 footers but relished being able to move within striking distance and get a crack at the title in a rare return stint on the local circuit after a successful Symetra Tour campaign.

“I could’ve taken the lead but I missed those birdie chances, sayang,” said the LPGA Tour-bound Ardina.