Thai edges closer to LPGT crown despite 73

LIPA City, Batangas – Nemittra Juntanaket kept her poise in the face of Princess Superal’s early charge and barely clung to a one-stroke lead with a 73 as fellow Thai Pimpadsorn Sangkagaro charged back with a tournament-best 70 in the second round of the ICTSI Mt. Malarayat Ladies Classic here Thursday.

Superal moved to within one with a two-under card after 11 holes in the wind but, like in the first round, the ace Filipina shotmaker faltered at the finish and remained three strokes behind with a 73 at Mt. Malarayat’s Mt. Malipunyo and Mt. Makulot nines.

That moved Juntanaket 18 holes away from a breakthrough victory on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour as the 22-year-old shotmaker bucked poor driving with a superb short game to rescue a 36-37card for a 145 and stave off Sangkagaro, who birdied two of the last eight to shoot the tournament-best 70 in third-to-last flight for a 146.

“Despite my poor driving, I was able to play good in the first nine (at Mt. Malipunyo) with my superb short game,” said Juntanaket, chasing her second pro win after winning the Pan Thai Open in 2017.

“I’ll try to hit it on the fairways and greens and make the most of birdie chances tomorrow to win here,” added the Thai ace.

Superal, seeking to make it two-in-row after ruling the John Hay stop of the circuit put up by ICTSI in Baguio last month, bogeyed No. 12 and dropped two strokes on the tricky par-5 14th after overshooting the green. She birdied No. 16 from 10 feet but dumped her tee-shot on the par-3 17th into the left greenside and failed to get up-and-down.

Though she improved from an opening 75 with a 73, the reigning LPGT Order of Merit champion stayed three adrift at 148 in a tie with Thais Ajira Nualraksa and defending champion Onkanok Soisuwan, who shot 72 and 73, respectively.

“I just couldn’t sustain it at the finish. I just hope to put it all together tomorrow,” said Superal, still hopeful of a strong windup for a crack at the top P150,000 purse.

Another Thai, Numa Gulyanamitta, turned in a 74 for solo sixth at 149 while Marvi Monsalve, who started the round just two off Juntanaket, struggled in tough conditions all day, limping with a birdie-less 77 and tumbling to seventh at 151.

Korean Hwang Min-Jeong, who won here as an amateur in 2015 who scored a breakthrough as a pro at Splendido last January, also failed to get going, her 75 and a 153 put her seven shots off the pace heading to the final round of the P750,000 championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, inc.

Eagle Ace Superal, meanwhile, zeroed in on the low amateur honors with a 73 as she assembled a 153 for joint ninth with pros Pamela Mariano and Chihiro Ikeda, who groped for 74 and 75, respectively, in the event backed by Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, K&G Golf Apparel, BDO, Sharp, KZG, PLDT, Empire Golf and Sports and M.Y. Shokai Technology, Inc.