Shin grabs 3-shot edge as leaders fall

MANILA, Philippines - Korean Shin Jin Woo holed out with back-to-back birdies to shoot a two-under 70 and take control by three strokes over Forest Hills’ Jonar Austria and erstwhile leader Sung Hwan Yoon, who hobbled with a wind-blown 80 halfway through the WWWExpress-DHL Amateur Golf Championships at Canlubang Golf and Country Club in Laguna yesterday.

Shin, who started the day seven off Sung, actually sparked his fiery finish with a birdie on the par-5 14th with the Mimosa bet coming through with clutch par-putts in the next two holes before birdying the last two holes to submit the only under-par card of 36-34 in another challenging day at Cangolf’s north layout.

With a 147 aggregate, Shin stood three ahead of Austria, who had a 150 after a 74, heading to the last 36 holes of the event sponsored by WWWExpress and DHL and presented by Globe Telecom and serving as second leg of the 11-stage NGAP-Globe Amateur Golf Circuit.

Austria put himself in contention with a pair of 37s that featured three birdies against three bogeys and a double-bogey on No. 3, hoping to hold his own against the two Koreans in today’s crucial third round of the tournament backed by Pancake House and Golf Depot as other sponsors and AirPhil Express as official airline.

Sung, who showed the way in the opener with an eagle-spiked 70, also had a six-over total, failing to recover from a disastrous triple-bogey 7 on No. 3 while closing out with a double-bogey 6 for that 80.

Lawrence Celestino of Eagle Ridge bounced back from a 78 with a 73 to grab solo fourth at 151, four strokes adrift, while Del Monte’s Noel Langamin also fought back with a 74 to tie John Kier Abdon, who fumbled with a 77, at 152.

Alabang’s Andres Saldaña rallied with a 34 at the back to salvage a 75 to force a five-way tie for seventh at 153, including Ariel Villasencio (76), Keanu Jahns (76), Jan Philippe De Claro (77) and Joey Huerva (77).

In girls’ play, Sunshine Baraquiel holed out with a bogey on No. 18 for a 74 as she dropped into a tie with fancied ICTSI teammates Dottie Ardina and Jayvie Agojo at the start of the 54-hole tournament sanctioned and conducted by the National Golf Association of the Phils.

Baraquiel matched Ardina and Agojo’s 36 then surged ahead with a birdie on No. 12 but stumbled with a bogey on the final hole for that 74.

Ardina, coming off a victory in Kuala Lumpur two weeks ago, birdied No. 16 but dropped a stroke on the next while Agojo, the reigning Hong Kong Am Open champion, bogeyed two of the last six holes.

The troika posted a four-shot lead over Marvi Monsalve and Princess Superal, who both had 78s, while Sarah Ababa fumbled with a 79 and Andie Unson skied to an 80 and defending champion Lovelynn Guioguio limped with an 80 in a tie with Lee Ye Rin.