Avaricio battles late start, fires solid 67 to seize solo second in Thailand
MANILA, Philippines — Chanelle Avaricio shrugged off the challenge of a late-afternoon tee time and produced one of her finest rounds on foreign soil. She carded a flawless five-under 67 to emerge as the closest pursuer of Thai star Jaravee Boonchant after the opening round of the Singha-NDSF Ladies Open 2026 at Windson Park and Golf Club in Bangkok on Wednesday.
Competing under sweltering heat and humid conditions that tested both endurance and concentration, Avaricio displayed remarkable composure and precision. She assembled a bogey-free round highlighted by five birdies to trail Boonchant by just three strokes in the THB1.5-million, 54-hole championship on the Thai LPGA Tour.
The superb effort not only underscored Avaricio's growing confidence on the international stage but also put the Filipina ace in prime position to challenge for the title heading into Thursday's crucial second round.
Starting on No. 10, Avaricio immediately found her rhythm with back-to-back birdies that set the tone for an impressive day. She kept her momentum going with birdies on Nos. 13, 2 and 4 while calmly negotiating the rest of the layout with 13 steady pars, completing one of the day's few blemish-free rounds.
Only Boonchant proved better, with the LPGA Tour and Korean LPGA veteran putting together a scintillating eight-under 64. After birdieing three holes on the back nine, the Thai standout stayed on the attack with birdies on Nos. 1 and 4. Although she failed to capitalize on the par-5 sixth, she finished in spectacular fashion by birdieing her last three holes for a dazzling 31-33 card.
With just three strokes separating them, Avaricio heads into the second round well within striking distance as the two appear poised for an intriguing duel before the tournament shifts into Friday's final round.
Meanwhile, Harmie Constantino and Tiffany Lee matched two-under 70s to share 11th place with 12 others, six shots behind Boonchant.
Constantino looked headed for an even stronger finish after breaking a string of pars with birdies on Nos. 11, 12 and 17. However, she failed to get up-and-down on the challenging 406-yard closing hole, ending up with a bogey that dropped her from a share of fifth to joint 11th.
Lee's round featured four birdies but was spoiled by a costly double bogey on No. 14.
Princess Superal also opened solidly, birdieing Nos. 1 and 3 for a two-under 34 but a bogey on the 10th stalled her charge and she settled for pars the rest of the way to finish with a 71 for a share of 25th.
The rest of the Filipina campaigners struggled and faced an uphill battle to survive the 36-hole cut. Daniella Uy rallied with two birdies in the last four holes at the front to save a 74 and a share of 61st, while Yvon Bisera, Mafy Singson and Marvi Monsalve each carded 75s for joint 77th.
In Taiwan, Sean Ramos steadied himself after a shaky front-nine stretch, birdieing the par-3 eighth to salvage an even-par 72 and safely advance to the weekend rounds of the HCT ADT Open at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club.
Ramos bounced back from a bogey on the 13th with birdies on Nos. 14 and 17 before encountering trouble on the front side, where bogeys on Nos. 5 and 6 threatened to derail his round. He responded with a clutch birdie on No. 8 after a solid tee shot to preserve an even-par card.
With a two-round total of 143, the Philippine Golf Tour standout advanced to the final 36 holes in a tie for 38th, bouncing back from last week's missed-cut finish in the Ambassador's ADT Open, also in Taiwan.
He remained seven strokes behind Taiwanese leader Mako Shapiyate, who surged to the top with a brilliant six-under 66 highlighted by a hole-in-one on the 155-yard fifth. Shapiyate complemented the ace with seven birdies against three bogeys to post an eight-under 136 and take a one-shot lead over Japan's Nobuaki Oda (68), Shunichiro Morioka (70) and Taiwan's Chang Wei-Lun (70), who shared second at 137.
The other Filipino bets failed to advance, with Enrico Gallardo missing the cut by one stroke after a 73 for a 144 total, while Gab Manotoc carded a 75 to finish at 148.
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