Miñoza fires 78, drops to joint 46th in Seniors Open

MANILA, Philippines - Frankie Miñoza turned from awesome to awful as he skied to an eight-over 78 to fall from joint second to a share of 46th in Friday’s second round of The Senior Open Championship now paced by German Bernhard Langer and American Mark Wiebe in Southport, Merseyside, England.

After surprising the field with a big backside rally for a two-under 68 in the first round, Miñoza found the Royal Birkdale Golf Club layout too tough to handle, making five bogeys and two double bogeys with a lone birdie to show in a 38-40 round.

The Filipino ace tried to rebound from an atrocious performance with a birdie on the 16th for the second straight day but made a double bogey on the par-4 18th which he birdied the previous day.

The 10-shot difference in two days sent the former two-time Philippine Open champion tumbling down from No. 2 to 46th at 146, 11 shots off the pace, although he safely made it to the weekend play with the cut pegged at 148.

After two pars, Miñoza stumbled with three straight bogeys from No. 3 and never recovered from there, dropping another stroke on the ninth and making his first double bogey on the 10th which he birdied Thursday.

He dropped another shot on the 12th and after a run of pars, banged in his first birdie on the 16th only to hole out with another double-bogey.

Wiebe tamed the winds and fired a five-under 65 to force a tie with Langer, who shot a 67, at 135 as they shared a one-stroke lead over David Frost, who turned in a second 68 for a 136.

Erstwhile leader Gene Sauers settled for a 70 and dropped to joint fourth with Mark McNulty (67) and Peter Fowler (68) at 137 while Rocco Mediate (68), Sandy Lyle (68) and Jeff Hart (69) stood at 138.

Meanwhile, Team ICTSI’s Sofia Chabon and Mikhaela Fortuna wavered with 65 and 67, respectively, enabling Karak Sanford to snatch the girls’ 11-12 crown in the Las Vegas Junior Masters at the Angel Park Palms Course Friday.

Sanford rallied with a seven-under 63 and nipped the two Filipina bets by one at 195. Chabon, who shot 65 and 66 in the first two rounds, and Fortuna, who had 65 and 64, finished tied for second at 196.

Abegail Arevalo closed out with a 72 and wound up fourth at 220 in the girls’ 13-14 division ruled by Thai Paphankorn Tawatanakit, who had a 204 after a 68.