Go rallies to joint 4th, Baraquiel cracks in Mizuno Cali Q-School Prep Series

MANILA, Philippines — Amateur Lois Kaye Go charged back with an eagle-spiked 67 to salvage a joint fourth-place finish as erstwhile leader Sunshine Baraquiel crumbled with a 78 and Nataliya Guseva of Russia swept the two-part Mizuno Cali Q-School Prep Series at Marriott’s Shadow Ridge Golf Club in Palm Desert, California Friday (Saturday, Manila time).

Go made up for her so-so opening 74 with a 33-34 round she laced with an eagle on the par-5 No. 6 on her way home as she pooled a 141 and jumped from joint 26th to a share of fourth with three others in the 36-hole tournament which served as part of the East Coast Women’s Pro Golf Tour.

The Cebuana shotmaker also emerged the best Filipina campaigner in last Tuesday’s Cali Q-School Prep Series #1 at joint fifth and though she finished six strokes behind the in-form Guseva, her strong finish and a couple of Top 5 finishes this week further underscored her readiness for the pro tour.

For a while, Baraquiel also looked poised to scoring a breakthrough in the US circuit after grabbing the first round lead with a 66, which she also spiked with an eagle on the sixth. But the pressure to deliver proved too tough for her to endure as she lost grip of the lead with a double-bogey right on the first hole.

She yielded another stroke on the fourth, regained it two holes later but fell back again with a bogey and double bogey from No. 7 for a 41. She did birdie the 14th but dropped two more shots on the par-5 16th, picked up a stroke on the next but holed out with another bogey for a 37 and a 78.

From the top, the Filipina lady pilot tumbled to joint 12th at 144 after ending up tied at 10th in Series #1.

Chanelle Avaricio, meanwhile, failed to rebound from a 73 with a 76 on four bogeys and a double bogey against two birdies as the top Filipina pro, winner of three legs on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour, wound up at tied 35th with a 149 after ending up joint 30th the first time out.

But the week belonged to amateur Guseva, who showed up Baraquiel and Lizzie Win with a solid frontside 33 to wrest control then pulled away with another three-birdie binge at the back before holing out with a bogey on the 18th.

Her 67 thus netted her another victory at 135 as she beat Sarah Rheaume (66) and Elodie Chapelet by two, while Tuan Yu Chiang of Taiwan and Arizona’s Alexis Linam, who matched 69s, and Singapore’s Sock Hwee Koh, who fired a 70, tied Go at fourth.