MIAOLI County, Taiwan – Pauline del Rosario recovered late to salvage a 72 and trail a hot-finishing Hsiao-Ling Wu by five even as the rest of the Pinay bidders struggled in the first round of the Party Ladies Golfers Open at the National Golf and Country Club here yesterday.

Chasing her second LPGA Tour of Taiwan (TLPGA) crown after pulling off a shock win in TLPGA and Royal Open in Hsinchu in 2017, del Rosario failed to get going tackling the up-and-down layout for the first time, bogeying Nos. 4 and 14 while flubbing a couple of birdie chances. But she finally found her rhythm and touch at the finish, birdying the last two to save a 37-35 for joint 15th in the $100,000 championship co-sanctioned by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. for the second straight year.

Daniella Uy, who tied at 45th here in the first Ladies PGT event held overseas last year, rebounded from a double-bogey miscue on No. 6 with back-to-back birdies from No. 12. But the former Junior World titlist wavered with shaky putting at the finish, dropping strokes on two of the last three holes to settle for a 74.

“I struggled with my putting and missed a lot of four footers,” rued Uy.
Cyna Rodriguez, out to improve on her 39th place effort last year, also failed to bounce back from a 39 start and turned in a 76 while rookie pro Chanelle Avaricio blew an early one-under par card with two bogeys at the front and failed to break a bogey-birdie-bogey-birdie run at the back with three bogeys in the last four to drop to joint 55th with Rodriguez six others.

“Still trying to regain my confidence and the rhythm which I used to enjoy then,” said Rodriquez, a former three-time LPGT Order of Merit winner but whose game took a downswing the last few years.

“I made a lot of errors, including a three-putt miscue on No. 8,” said Avaricio. “My ball-striking is actually quite okay but I almost always hit the wrong side of the green and left with short, uphill putts. But I hope to hit the target tomorrow (today) and hope for the best.”

Marvi Monsalve shot herself in the foot with an 80 and in danger of missing the 50-plus ties cut of the closing leg of the seventh season of the country’s premier ladies circuit sponsored by ICTSI.

“I can’t come up with a good hit but I’ll try to focus on my game tomorrow (today),” said Monsalve.

Wu, who ranked down at 45th in the current TLPGA Order of Merit, opened her bid with two birdies at the back and bucked a bogey on No. 2 with four birdies, including three in the last four to grab the first day honors with a 67 in the fifth TLPGA and LPGT-sanctioned tournament this year.

“I have a good game and my putting is good. I’m so excited because I used just 27 putts,” said the 21-year-old Wu from Kaohsiung, who stood two shots clear of compatriot Ching-Ling Chang, Lee Tai-Ling and Hsieh Yu Ling, who all shot 69s as the hosts dominated the early going of the event.

Chia Wen Tai missed grabbing solo second with two bogeys in the last six holes at the front for a 70. Other two-under par scorers were Thai Mookharin Ladgratok and Malaysian Genevieve Ling I-Rynn.

Lin Tzu Chi, TLPGA’s No. 4 and winner of the last two TLPGA events, lost her momentum and stumbled at the finish with a 37 for a 71 for joint eighth with fellow Taiwanese Lee Hsin, Chen Cih-Hui, Chiu Ling Ti, Hsuan Cheng and Thais Pattaporn Mounchoo and Arpichaya Yubol, winner of the Manila Ladies Masters at Manila Golf Club last April.