Thai Pennapa Pulsawath recovered from a late double-bogey mishap with a birdie on the 17th as she shot a three-under 69 in scorching heat to post a one-stroke lead over Chihiro Ikeda at the start of the ICTSI Wack Wack Ladies Invitational at Wack Wack’s West course yesterday.

Amateur ace Princess Superal scored a hole-in-one on No. 8 but could only match Thai Wichanee Meechai’s even par 72 while Cyna Rodriguez struggled to card a 73 in a flight that featured three of the top contenders for the top P100,000 purse in the 54-hole championship serving as the third leg of the ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.

But Pulsawath, who placed fifth at ICTSI Splendido which Meechai dominated with a record 15-shot romp, took the spotlight early, rattling off five birdies against a bogey in the first 11 holes to set pace among the 36 starters. She dropped into a tie with Ikeda after dumping her approach shot into a hazard then three-putted on No. 16 but came through with a six-foot birdie on the next to save a 34-35 card.

In a flight ahead, Ikeda, chasing her first LPGT win, bucked a bogey and a double bogey in the first three holes with back-to-back birdies from No. 5. She dropped another stroke on the eighth but birdied the next for a 37. But the former SEA Games gold medalist unleashed a strong finishing kick with three birdies in the last eight holes to fire a 70 and stay in early contention in the 54-hole tournament sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc.
Amateur Bernice Olivarez-Ilas humbled fancied ICTSI-The Country Club teammate Superal by firing a one-under 71 on a two-birdie, one-bogey stint to seize solo third.

But Superal and Meechai stood just behind at 72 with Apple Fudolin and Rodriguez lay a shot farther back at 73 with Korean amateur Eu Na Koh and Thais Mookharin Ladgratok and Saraporn Chamchoi turned in 74 and 75, respectively, guaranteeing a wide open race in the last 36 holes.

Superal failed to get going early with an opening hole bogey and struggled to salvage pars in two of the next six holes but hit a perfect Ping 7-iron shot with Pro V1 No. 8 ball on the 142-yard No. 8 which bounced one before rolling into the cup for her first career hole-in-one.

“I thought I hit it over since I didn’t find the ball the green. I’m just so happy to score my first ace,” said Superal, who came into the event beaming with confidence following a run of victories abroad.

But the ace failed to prop up the US Girls Junior champion as she bogeyed the next and though she birdied the par-5 10th, Superal settled for a slew of pars in a backside stint marred by a bogey on the 14th for that 72.

Meechai bounced back from a one-over card with birdies on Nos. 6 and 8 but bogeyed the last hole and dropped into a tie with Superal and Fudolin, who joined the duo at fourth with a birdie on No. 17.

Rodriguez, who vowed to stop the Thais from taking another LPGT crown, birdied No. 1 but bogeyed three of the next five holes before birdying Nos. 7 ad 8 to draw even par at the turn. But she flubbed a birdie putt from close range on the 10th and missed the green on the next for another bogey then parred the rest of the way for a 36-37.

See more details for the 2015 ICTSI Wack Wack Ladies Invitational

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