Eagle sparks Ardina’s bid as leaders set up shootout

MANILA, Philippines -- Dottie Ardina stayed firmly in the hunt for a second Epson Tour title, firing another eagle-highlighted round of four-under 68 despite a revised tee time in the second round of the Island Resort Championship at the Sweetgrass Golf Club in Harris, Michigan, on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

The veteran Filipina campaigner improved to eight-under 135 and climbed to a share of 14th, just four shots behind leader Kelly Xu entering Sunday's final round of the 54-hole event. With the leaderboard tightly packed, Ardina remained well within striking distance, needing one more low round to mount a serious title challenge.

Xu followed up her opening 64 with a three-under 67 to seize solo control at 13-under 131, one stroke ahead of Lauren Olivares, Kaleiya Romero and Liqi Zeng, who pooled 132s after rounds of 66, 67 and 68, respectively.

Three more players – Xiaowen Yin, who charged with a 65, and Mariel Galdiano and Jillian Hollis, who matched 67s – stood another stroke back at 133, setting up what promises to be a wide-open final-round shootout.

Ardina, backed by ICTSI, picked up where she left off after an opening 67 she ignited with an eagle-birdie start, birdieing Nos. 3, 4 and 5 to quickly move into contention.

Her momentum briefly stalled after a string of pars and missed birdie opportunities before back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 12 and 13 threatened to derail her round.

But the seasoned campaigner responded in trademark fashion.

Ardina holed out for an eagle on the par-4 No. 14, instantly erasing the setback, then capped her round with a birdie on the closing par-5 18th to save a 68 and keep her championship hopes very much alive.

The strong finish was especially encouraging for Ardina, who missed the cut in this tournament last year and now finds herself with a realistic opportunity to contend for the title.

Meanwhile, Clariss Guce rallied with three birdies over her final eight holes to card a 69, improving to four-under 139 and a share of 33rd.

Bianca Pagdanganan also finished at 139 after settling for a 71. She raced to three birdies over her first six holes but gave away much of the early gains with three bogeys before birdieing the last.

Tomi Arejola, however, failed to sustain her opening-round 69, stumbling to a 75 marred by three bogeys over her final seven holes. She finished at even-par 144, four shots outside the cut line.

Pauline del Rosario bounced back from an opening 76 with a 71 but also missed the cut at 147, while Sam Bruce closed with a 76 after a first-round 73 for a 149.