Ardina slows down with 72, Del Rosario makes cut in Epson Tour Championship

MANILA, Philippines — Dottie Ardina cooled down after a scorching 66 start, her mediocre even-par 72 dropping her from joint third to a share of 32nd halfway through the Epson Tour Championship, which produced a new leader in Thai Jaravee Boonchant in Florida Friday (Saturday, Manila time).

After a fiery eight-birdie, two-bogey opening card that put her within a stroke off Maddie Caldwell-Young — and a boost to her LPGA Tour card bid, the Filipina shotmaker struggled with her putting, missing a number of birdie chances and ending up with 34 putts.

She remained steady off the mound, hitting 11 fairways, and missed just two greens, rescuing one while blowing the other, leading to a bogey on No. 12, which she negated with a birdie on the third hole.

With a 138 aggregate, the top ICTSI-backed bet fell seven shots off Boonchant, who sizzled with a solid eight-under 64 to jump from 11th to the top of the heap with 131, one stroke ahead of American Bailey Tardy and Korean Hyo Joon Jang, who matched outputs for the second straight day, a 66 for 132s while French Julie Aime also fueled her own title drive with a tournament-best, eagle-spiked, bogey-free 63 that lifted her from 52nd to joint fourth at 133 with Sophie Hausmann of Germany, Aussie Amelia Garvey and Swede Linnea Strom.

Hausman fired a 65, Garvey shot a 66 while Strom put in a 67 as they stayed in contention in the final event of this year’s Epson Tour.

But while Ardina slowed down, ICTSI teammate Pauline del Rosario improved with a 69 after a 71 for joint 53rd at 140, the cutoff score. She hit all but one fairway on a big 265-yard driving norm and reached regulation 14 times while finishing with 29 putts.

Abby Arevalo, however, failed to advance with a two-birdie, two-bogey round for a 72 and a 143, and Clariss Guce hardly recovered from a 74 with a 71 and missed the cut at 145.

Ardina, meanwhile, hopes to rebound and get back into the fight in the pivotal third round as she mixes it up with Americans Kennedy Swann and Katelyn Sisk at the backside of the par-72 layout at 8:11 a.m.

But focus will be on Boonchant, Hyo and Bailey, who go all-out for control in the 9:50 a.m. duel at the front with Aime also seeking to sustain her blistering 63 as she slugs it out with Hausmann and Garvey at 9:39 a.m.