CARMONA, Cavite – Mia Piccio nearly blew a three-stroke lead with a faltering finish, barely clinging to a one-shot edge over a rallying Lee Jeong-hwa with a 70 even as amateur Sam Martirez stayed in the hunt after two rounds of the ICTSI Champion Tour presented by Champion and Taiwan LPGA at Southwoods’ Legends course yesterday.

Piccio looked headed for a big cushion heading to the final 18 holes of the $75,000 championship but fumbled with a wet bogey on the par-5 17th which Lee birdied for a crucial two-shot swing that put the Korean ace within one with a 71 and closer to a back-to-back sweep of the Taiwan LPGA Tour events here.

Mia Piccio

Still, Piccio moved on top at seven-under 137 but Lee stood just behind at 138, guaranteeing a shootout between two club bets for the top $15,000 purse in the event sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

“If I keep this kind of game, I have a good chance winning the title,” said Piccio, the 24-year-old Ilongga from the coastal town of Pototan. “But I need to play steady and make good decisions.”

Lee is expected to ride the momentum of her big backside comeback, hopeful of duplicating her feat at Splendido last week where she fought back from two strokes down with eight holes left to edge Japanese Fumika Kawagishi by one.

“Mia’s distance off the tee will help her but I think it will boil down to putting and whoever gets the breaks since both are playing and hitting well,” said coach Joel Altea, who handles both players, along with reigning Philippine Open champion Miguel Tabuena.

Martirez, who matched the pros’ opening 67s with a solid 33-34 Tuesday, missed joining Lee at second with a final hole bogey but her 72 and 139 dropped her just two back to earn a spot in the final flight of the event serving as the second leg of the ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour and sixth stage of the TLPGA.

Samantha Martirez

“Sam made a good pitch on No. 18 but missed but she is capable of scoring low so she still has a chance (for title) as well as Pauline (Del Rosario),” said TCC coach Bong Lopez, adding that making it to the last flight in a pro event is a good experience for her ward. “But Sam must play relaxed and stay focused throughout.”

Del Rosario, Martirez’s teammate in The Country Club stable, shot the day’s best 67 spiked a four-birdie string from No. 11, leapfrogging from joint 30th to a share of fourth at three-under 141 with Kawagishi, Thai Kanphanitnan Muangkhumaskul and Yumi Takabayashi of Japan, who also sizzled with a 67 in the first round only to reel back with a 74.

Kawagishi birdied four of the last five holes to salvage a 72, while Muangkhumaskul, winner of TLPGA’s kickoff leg, carded a 71.

Piccio, priming up for the Symetra Tour in the US, outgunned Lee and Takabayashi at the front, hitting three birdies against two bogeys to wrest a two-shot lead as her rivals made the turn with identical 37s. She birdied the firs two holes at the back and drilled in another on No. 14 to negate her bogey on No. 12 and move three-up on Lee.

But just when she seemed to be in control, Piccio hit an errant approach shot into the hazard and ended up with a bogey while Lee pounced on her rival’s miscue and rammed in a birdie to make it a thrilling finale.

Lee Jeong-Hwa

Takabayashi actually got back into the fight with back-to-back birdies from No. 13 but stumbled with two straight bogeys from No. 15 and ended up with a pair of 37s.

“I couldn’t do anything good out there. I suffered mental stress because of my poor game,” rued the 29-year-old Takabayashi.

The rest of the 67-player field fell five shots behind and would need brilliant rounds to wheel back into contention in the event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and backed by adidas, Custom Clubmakers, KZG, TaylorMade, Champion, Summit Natural Drinking Water, Pacsports, Sharp and Rustans Supermarket.

They include Taiwanese Chen Yu-ju and Chen Chi-hui, who pooled identical 142s after a 68 and 71, respectively, while Korean amateur Hwang Min-jeong, winner of LPGT Mt. Malarayat leg last year, matched par 72 for joint 10th at 143 with Chihiro Ikeda and Korean Kang Ji-won, who also scored 72s, Yeh Hsin-Ning of Taiwan, who made a 71, and Korean Gu Na-eun and Japanese Senno Yasufuku, who both had 73s.

Dottie Ardina settled for another 72 to drop to joint 16th at 144 with eight others and out of the title race.