Del Rosario eyes Top 10 finish, charges back with 67

MANILA, Philippines -- Pauline del Rosario rediscovered her form with a brilliant five-under 67 in the second round of the Tuscaloosa Toyota Classic in Alabama, catapulting her from a tie for 40th to a share of 16th on Saturday (Sunday Manila time).

However, despite her stellar play, the Filipino standout remained seven strokes behind leader Ana Belac, who followed up her opening 65 with a 66, posting a 13-under 131 heading into the final round of the Epson Tour event.

Coming off a scrambling 71 on Friday, del Rosario birdied her first two holes, narrowly missing a birdie on the par-5 third but quickly recovering with another on the fifth. Her momentum slowed after a bogey on the eighth, but she rebounded with a birdie on the ninth, finishing the front nine with a 33.

The ICTSI-backed shotmaker continued her surge on the back nine, dominating the par-5 10th, though a bogey on the par-3 13th briefly stalled her progress. She, however, responded in fine fashion, closing with birdies on the 14th, 15th and 18th to complete a 33-34 round.

Though she slipped further from the solo leader, del Rosario is aiming for a top-10 finish, determined to build on her strong second-round performance following a string of underwhelming results in the LPGA Tour’s farm league.

Belac, who shared the first-round lead with Ashley Lau and Cydney Clanton, pulled ahead with a solid 34 on the front before firing four birdies on the back nine for a flawless 66. She now leads by two shots over Ingrid Lindblad, who matched Belac’s six-under for the day to tie for second at 133 alongside Lau (68).

Clanton slipped down the leaderboard after a 71, dropping to a tie for seventh at 136.

Meanwhile, fellow Filipino Clariss Guce bounced back from a 73 with a 70, making the cut at 143.