Ardina finds form, cards 68; Romero storms ahead

MANILA, Philippines -- Dottie Ardina fired a 68 after completing a tough opening round to surge into a share of eighth place and back into contention in the Guardian Championship at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Capitol Hill’s Senator Course in Prattville, Alabama, on Saturday (Sunday Manila time) .

Ardina, who completed her suspended first round with a one-under 71, followed it with five birdies against a bogey in the second round to move to 139 after 36 holes.

But the Filipina still faces a steep climb in the final round, with Filipino-American Kaleiya Romero surging to the top of the leaderboard after rounds of 65 and 68 for a three-stroke provisional lead at 133 in the Epson Tour event.

Darkness halted play for the second straight day, with several players – including some still in contention – set to complete their second rounds early Sunday.

Romero was especially sharp in the rain-hit opening round, making eight birdies against a lone bogey for a 65. She followed that with six more birdies against two bogeys to strengthen her grip on the tournament.

Two-time Augusta National Women’s Amateur competitor Anna Davis, playing on a sponsor’s invitation, stood second at 136 after a second-round 66. Davis won the prestigious amateur event in 2022.

First-round co-leader Lauryn Nguyen also remained within striking distance. Nguyen was two-under through seven holes of her second round, putting her at seven-under overall before play was suspended. She will return early Sunday to complete her round.

Ardina, backed by ICTSI, showed resilience after returning to the course Saturday to finish her opening round. She birdied two of her final holes to salvage a 71 before producing a much stronger second-round effort.

She birdied five times in the afternoon, including two late birdies, to climb into the top 10 and regain a share of eighth at 139.

The other Filipina campaigners also remained on course to make the cut, although they were too far back to mount a serious title challenge.

Pauline del Rosario birdied the final hole to salvage a 71 and move to 143, good for a share of 37th. Tomi Arejola carded a bogey-free 70 to climb to joint 49th at 144.

Bianca Pagdanganan also stood at 144 after a 71. She opened her second round with three birdies in her first eight holes after a 73 in the first round, but a bogey on No. 12 and a costly double bogey on No. 14 stalled her momentum. She recovered with a birdie on the 18th to close with a 71.

Del Rosario and Pagdanganan, whose campaign is also supported by the world's leading port operator, are using this event as part of their buildup for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan later this month.

Clariss Guce, meanwhile, faces a tougher task after stumbling to a three-over card through nine holes of her second round when play was suspended. She opened with a 70 but had slipped to one-over running total and below the projected cut line with nine holes still to play.

With several players yet to complete their second rounds, the leaderboard – and the cut – remain provisional heading into Sunday’s resumption (Monday Manila time).