Guce presses bid, but del Rosario fades in Casino del Sol

MANILA, Philippines — Clariss Guce thrived in a big bounce-back from an early miscue with an eagle-birdie run but a late slip stalled her charge in the topsy-turvy third round of the Casino del Sol Golf Classic at the Sewailo Golf Club in Tucson, Arizona Saturday (Sunday, Manila time).

She finished with a 69 and chopped three strokes from a seven-stroke deficit in the previous round of the weather-hit $200,000 championship still led by Gigi Stoll, who threatened to pull away with a solid four-birdie binge after 11 holes but bogeyed Nos. 16 and 17 to settle for a 70 and a 10-under 206 total.

She stayed a shot ahead of fellow Americans Daniella Iacobelli and erstwhile co-leader Haley Moore, who pooled identical 207s after a 68 and 71, respectively, with Puerto Rican Maria Torres also putting herself in the hunt with a 208 after a 68.

Thai Pinyada Kuvanun fired a 65 while Malaysia’s Natasha Oon carded a 71 for joint fifth at 209 with Guce joining Taiwanese Heather Lin, who shot a 66, Israel’s Laetita Beck, Mexico’s Regina Plasencia and Lindsey McCurdy of the US, who matched 68s, at seventh.

Guce, who rebounded from an opening 73 with a 68 Friday, actually slipped farther back from joint 11th with a bogey on No. 2. But she regained the stroke on the next, eagled the par-5 sixth and birdied the next two for a four-under card at the turn.

But after a run of pars, marred by a couple of missed chances, she failed to get up-and-down on No. 17 and wound up with a 69.

The two-time Epson Tour winner hit 10 fairways and 12 greens and highlighted her 29-putt showing with a couple of sand saves.

Pauline del Rosario, however, failed to recover from a crushing double-bogey on No. 4 coming off an inspiring 68 Friday that spiked her big jump from joint 61st to a share of 23rd, as she fumbled with three more bogeys and holed out with a triple-bogey on No. 16 against two birdies for a 78.

That all but dropped the ICTSI-backed shotmaker out of title contention with a 221, 15 strokes off Stoll.

Del Rosario missed six fairways and 10 greens but finished with 28 putts, and like Guce, flourished off the bunkers, saving all her three visits.