Arevalo ties for 11th despite birdie-birdie windup

MANILA, Philippines – Abby Arevalo birdied the last two holes to save a one-under 71 but settled for joint 11th place in the Island Resort Championship won by Taiwanese Tsai Ching Tseng in come-from-behind fashion in Harris, Michigan Sunday (Monday, Manila time).

Arevalo marked her campaign in the 54-hole, $225,000 championship with late-hole bursts, including back-to-back 69s that netted her a share of sixth place heading to the final round. But after a fine start of three birdies against a bogey in the first 12 holes that kept her in the Top 10, the ICTSI-backed shotmaker slipped with three bogeys in the next four holes and needed to finish strong to rescue a 35-36 round.

But her 209 total dropped her to joint 11th with eight others, eight strokes behind a hot-closing Tseng, who shot three frontside birdies then rattled off four straight from No. 14 to finish with a solid 65. She beat Malaysian Natasha Oon and Auston Kim of the US by one.

Oon, one shot behind Kim after 36 holes, kept the erstwhile leader within sight with four birdies in the first six holes but made two bogeys against three more birdies, including on No. 18 as she finished with a 67.

Kim, on the other hand, firmed up her lead with five birdies in the first eight holes but stumbled with a double-bogey on No. 11.

Though she sandwiched a lone bogey on No. 13 with birdies, Kim could only close out with a 68 as she tied Oon for second at 202.

Bianca Pagdanganan fired a 69 to tie for 24th at 211, Clariss Guce ended up at joint 33rd with a 212, also after a three-under card, while Chanelle Avaricio gunned down four birdies but wound up with the same number of bogeys for a 72.

She finished tied for 56th at 215.