MANILA,Philippines - Dottie Ardina recovered a bit with an even-par 72, moving from seventh to joint second but chopping just a stroke off Min Lee’s overnight six-shot lead halfway through the Taiwan Amateur Golf Championship in Yangmei, Taiwan late Wednesday.
Ardina mixed two birdies with the same number of bogeys but flubbed a couple of makeable birdie putts at the back and settled for that 72 as the top Team ICTSI-Phl bet tied Malaysians Aretha Pan and Kelly Tan and Japan’s Miani Kaisu at second at 146.
Ardina’s 72 actually proved one of the two best scores in a challenging day at wind-raked Sunrise Golf and Country Club course with Lee wavering at the finish for a 73 but holding sway at 141.
Pan and Tan each made a 73 while Kaisu skied to a 76 after a solid 70.
Cyna Rodriguez, coming off a playoff victory over ICTSI teammate Jayvie Agojo in last week’s Hong Kong Open, shot the other 72 but stood too far behind Lee at 149 in a tie with Princess Superal, who had a 74.
Agojo, winner of the Santi Cup individual crown two weeks ago, failed to get going for the second straight day, turning another 75 for a 150.
The Agojo-Rodriguez tandem likewise wound up third in the 36-hole team play with a 299, three behind Lee and Yu Hsin Chang, who had a 296 and nipped Katsu and Mayu Hosaka in the countback.