Cyna pulls away by 8 with 71

MANILA, Philippines - Cyna Rodriguez more than doubled her overnight lead despite a bogey-bogey finish on the tough putting surface of the Aoki layout, carding a one-under 71 and padding her lead to eight over Jayvie Agojo and Apple Fudolin in the second round of the ICTSI Ladies PGT Eagle Ridge golf championship in Gen. Trias, Cavite yesterday.

Rodriguez, who opened a three-shot cushion over Agojo with a three-under 69 Wednesday, threatened to blow away the field with another three-under card after 11 holes. But the former Philippine Ladies Open made a shaky finish and ended up with a 71.

Still, her 140 aggregate proved enough to put her way ahead as Agojo floundered with a four-over 76, enabling the young Fudolin to forge a tie at 148 with a gutsy even par 72.

“It’s hard to putt because the greens are unpredictable. Some are fast, others are slow but most are sloping,” said Rodriguez, now 18 holes away from clinching her pro crown and a rich purse of P100,000 on her very first try.

Rodriguez’s 69 and 71 were the only under-par rounds posted thus far over 36 holes, underscoring her top form as the rest continued to struggle in tough condition.

Still, she said anything can still happen despite her big lead, stressing the need to stay focused all day to zero in on the crown in the third leg of the five-stage circuit sponsored by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

“I need to be extra careful and make less mistakes,” said Rodriguez, who missed an eagle putt on No. 7 but hit five birdies inside 12 feet. She had four missed green bogeys, including No. 18 off a wrong yardage and three putted No. 17.

Agojo, on the other hand, said she has a lot of catching up to do, hopeful to regain her bearing and rhythm for a strong start and contend for the title in the event backed by Nike Golf, Pacsports, Gatorade, Sharp and Custom Clubmakers.

“Unlike in the first round, I played bad today (yesterday). I even shot a double bogey on the par-5,” said Agojo, referring to her mishap on No. 15 where she dumped her second shot into the hazard.

Former Philippine Ladies Open champion Heidi Chua rebounded from an opening 79 with a two-over 74 and moved up to joint fourth although she stood way behind at 153 in a tie with Anya Tanpinco, who turned in a 75.

Lovelynn Guioguio, on the other hand, blew a 74 start with a woeful 81 and tumbled to sixth with a 155 while Reb Bareng made a 76 for a 156 and Sarah Jane Ababa assembled a 157 after a 78.