Singson slips with 72 as Ji pulls away in Fila Open

MANILA, Philippines – Mafy Singson battled through a double bogey on the 12th hole and salvaged an even-par 72, but fell by nine strokes behind Yuai Ji after the second round of the Fila Golf Women’s Championship at the PGA Golf Club in An Ying, Chongming, Shanghai, China on Saturday.

Coming off a promising opening-round 71, Singson was determined to stay in contention. She recovered quickly from a first-hole miscue with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 3 and 4. But after overcoming another miscue on No. 11 with a birdie, the top Filipino shotmaker stumbled with a double bogey on the par-5 12th.

Though she rebounded with a birdie on the next hole, she couldn't build on the momentum, missing opportunities in the final five holes, including on the long hole on the 17th.

With a two-day total of 143, the ICTSI-backed Davaoeña slipped six spots to a share of 17th. She now faces an uphill climb to crack the Top 10 in the 54-hole China LPGA Tour event.

Ji, who surged ahead with an opening-round 66, cooled off slightly with a 68 but remained two strokes clear of amateur Rongze Tang, who carded her second straight 68 for a 136 total. Dongmei Li moved into solo third with a 67 for a 137.

Fellow Filipina Laurea Duque also advanced to the final round after posting a 73, giving her a 149 total, good for a share of 54th place among the 79 players who survived the cut.

Meanwhile, in Japan, Justin delos Santos struggled with a 73 after a strong 67 in the second round, dropping from joint 23rd to a share of 41st in the Ana Open Golf Tournament at Sapporo Golf Club’s Wattsu course in Hokkaido.

Delos Santos managed just one birdie and one bogey on the front nine but faltered on the back, losing four strokes on holes Nos. 10, 11, 15 and 16 due to missed greens. He regained some ground with birdies on his final two holes but remained too far from the leaders with a 211 total after 54 holes.

Ryutano Nagano continued his dominance with a 67 for a 199 total, holding a two-stroke lead over South Africa’s Shaun Norris, who surged into second with a scorching 62 for a 201 total.