Pauline finishes strong

TAIWAN – Pauline del Rosario rallied with birdies on the last two holes to close with a 69 and earn a share of eighth place at the Party Golfers Ladies Open as Ling-Jie Chen won the tournament for the second straight year at Hsinchu County›s Lily Golf and Country Club.

Del Rosario, stalled by a double bogey on the par-4 ninth hole, fought back with birdies on Nos. 10 and 14 to offset a bogey on the 12th, and holed out with back-to-back birdies for a 35-34 and a 54-hole total of seven-under 209.

“I wanted to make birdies but didn’t push too hard,” said Del Rosario, who earned NT$100,000 (P174,000) for her effort. “I’m happy I was able to finish strong.”

Her eighth-place finish was just short of her sixth-place showing last year but underscored her steady improvement as she prepares for the Epson Tour next year.