LIPA City, Batangas – Nemittra Juntanaket held her ground against Princess Superal’s early charge and barely stayed ahead in a faltering finish for a 73, just one up on a charging fellow Thai Pimpadsorn Sangkagaro in the second round of the ICTSI Mt. Malarayat Ladies Classic here yesterday.

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

That moved Juntanaket 18 holes away from a dream victory on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour as the 22-year-old shotmaker bucked a shaky long game to rescue a 36-37card for a 145 and cling to the lead over Sangkagaro, who birdied two of the last eight to shoot the day’s best 70 in third-to-last flight and take the challenger’s role at 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.

“’llI try to hit it on the fairways and greens and make the most of birdie chances tomorrow (today) to win again,” 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 and missing it on a lob shot. 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 with Thais Ajira Nualraksa and defending champion Onkanok Soisuwan joining her at third with 72 and 73, respectively.

“I just couldn’t sustain it at the finish, but I hope to put it all together tomorrow (today),” 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.