Del Rosario nips Fortuna, bags Penang am crown

MANILA, Philippines - Pauline del Rosario nailed another crown in as many weeks, birdying the final hole to edge teammate Mikha Fortuna with a one-under 71 and capture the Penang Amateur Golf Open crown at the Bukit Jawi course in Malaysia over the weekend.

Del Rosario, tied with Fortuna for the first two days, took control with four birdies against a double-bogey at the front but wavered coming home before canning in an eight-foot birdie putt on the 18th to nip Fortuna with that 71 and a 210.

Fortuna missed forcing a playoff with a flubbed birdie try from seven feet, ending up with a 72 and a 211.
That enabled Del Rosariio, the former Thailand Ladies Amateur champion who also won three tournaments in the US early this year, to score a follow-up to her eight-shot romp, again over Fortuna, in last week’s Melaka Amateur Open with the top The Country Club bet eyeing a couple more international titles in the next three weeks.

Geraldine Xuan placed third with a 216 after a 70 while TCC bets Laia Barro and Mafy Singson wound up with 253 and 261 after 84 and 86, respectively.

Pressed by Fortuna in the first two days, Del Rosario birdied Nos. 5 , 6, 8 and 9 to negate a double-bogey mishap on No. 7 and seize the lead. But she bogeyed No. 10, 13 and 16, enabling Fortuna, who rammed in a slew of pars, to force a tie again heading to the 18th.