Guioguio up by 3 vs Dottie, Superal

MANILA, Philippines - Back on a course where she won the Philippine Amateur Open in 2012, Guioguio flashed top form and hit three birdies, including back-to-back feats from No. 16 in the rain, putting her three strokes clear of the players who disputed the crown in the first leg of the inaugural circuit at The Country Club last month.

“I was just lucky today. My driving is quite okay and my good short game compensated for my poor iron shots,” said Guioguio, who birdied the par-5 No. 2 and made a run of pars, including five after going out of regulation, before flubbing a five-footer for par on No. 13.

But the former Team ICTSI mainstay, out to improve on her joint sixth place finish at TCC, birdied Nos. 16 and 17 then holed out with a routine par to complete an impressive 35-35 card and open a three-shot lead over Ardina and Superal.

The duo, tipped to slug it out for the crown again this week along with the comebacking Chihiro Ikeda, turned in identical 73s while Jayvie Agojo birdied the last hole to salvage a two-over 74 in a tie with amateur Bernice Olivares-Ilas in the 54-hole championship sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc.

Ardina, who rallied with a flawless seven-under 65 at the tough TCC layout to nip Superal by one, struggled with her putting all day, the surface made tougher by the afternoon downpour. The former Junior World champion was two over after 12 holes but gunned down birdies on Nos. 13 and 15 before dropping a stroke on the par-5 17th.

“The greens are tough to read and I couldn’t putt,” rued Ardina, who, however, vowed to rebound in today’s second round of the event backed by Nike Golf, Pacsports, Gatorade, Sharp and Custom Clubmakers.

Superal, the reigning Singapore Amateur Open champion, is also expected to bounce back after a so-so one-birdie, two-bogey stint. She actually muffed a couple of birdie opportunities at the back which she all parred for a 37-36 card.

Sam Bruce, another amateur, missed seizing solo second with double-bogeys in the last two holes, dropping to 76 with Barsy Leonen while Ikeda, back on the local golf scene after a year-long campaign in Japan, never recovered from a poor start of 40 and hobbled with a 77.

Other five-over par scorers were Anya Tanpinco, Sarah Jane Ababa, Apple Fudolin and amateur Harmie Constantino.

Mary Grace Estuesta, the former Philippine Ladies Open champion, made a run of pars in her last seven holes to finish with a 78 in a tie with amateur Pauline del Rosario of Team ICTSI while Lucy Landicho struggled with a 79 in a tie with amateurs Mika Fortuna and Nikki Bruce, who humbled the pros by topping the recent LPGT qualifier of the inaugural five-leg circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.