RP tandem five shots adrift in World Cup

Jenny Rosales and Dorothy Delasin fumbled in the alternate shot format and the Philippines tumbled down the standings with a forgettable 77 Saturday (Sunday in Manila), falling by as many as five strokes off joint leaders Japan and Scotland and needing a fiery stint in the singles to contend for the World Cup of Golf crown in George, South Africa.

A day after holding their own against the world’s finest golfers in the best-ball format, Rosales and Delasin crumbled under tough playing conditions, dropping a stroke right after the opening hole before losing three with a 7 on the par-4 No. 3 which they birdied in the first round.

The Filipino tandem, who started the day just two strokes behind Canada and Italy, never recovered from that early mishap and mixed four birdies against the same number of bogeys for that four-over 77 card at the par-73 The Links course.

The Canadian pair of Lorie Kane and Dawn Coe-Jones also bombed out with a 79 and slid to ninth place with the Philippines at 145.

That was five strokes off Japan and Scotland, which zoomed to the top with 72 and 69, respectively, for a 140 and a one-shot lead over Italy heading into the highly-anticipated singles event Sunday where Rosales, now backed by Smart, and Delasin hope to atone for their miserable showing in the alternate shot format.

Japanese teenager Ai Miyazato and teammate Rui Kitada shot a one-under 72 after a 68, failing to seize the solo lead with bogeys on the last two holes for that 140.

"With the strong wind and the difficult greens, it was a difficult afternoon," Miyazato said. "We wanted to make birdies on the par-5s but it just got more and more difficult."

Playing alternate shot on a breezy afternoon, Catriona Matthew and Janice Moodie combined for four-under 69 with five birdies on the front nine. But the Scots dropped two shots on the back nine as the wind picked up.

"We spent the day simply trying to hit the fairways and greens," Matthew said.

After an opening 66, Italy’s Diana Luna and Giulia Sergas slipped to a 75 and a 141.

South Korea was two strokes off the lead — a composite 142 — after a five-under 68. The Korean team of Jeong Jang and Bo Bae Song, first off the morning, carded an eagle on the par-5 No. 5.

The fancied American team of Meg Mallon and Beth Daniel, England’s Laura Davies and Karen Stupples, and Australia’s Karrie Webb and Rachel Hetherington were three of the pace.

The Americans and English bets shot 74s while the Aussies had a 75. — Dante Navarro