Piccio sustains form; Ardina rebounds

MANILA, Philippines - Mia Piccio put in another solid round of two-under 70 to move to joint fourth while Dottie Ardina rebounded with a three-under 69 to wheel back into contention in the second round of the 2013 LPGA Qualifying Tournament Stage I at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California Wednesday.

Piccio continued to dish out fine form, this time taming the Palmer layout after shooting a 71 at the Dinah Shore layout Tuesday, pooling a 36-hole aggregate of 141 in a tie with Cheyenne Woods, who slowed down with a 73 after a 68.

The ICTSI-backed bet Piccio, however, stood six shots behind Laura Gonzales Escallon of Belgium, who broke out of a six-way tie for the lead with a 67 for a 135, five shots ahead of Erica Popson of Florida and amateur Cindy Feng Yueer of China, who both had 140s after a 71 and 70, respectively.

Ardina, meanwhile, shook off an atrocious start of four-over 76 at Dinah Shore with a sterling 69 as the top Filipina bet, also the former spearhead of Team ICTSI, jumped from a low 131st place to joint 25th at 145.

Piccio and Ardina will again play at Palmer in the third round before closing out their Stage I campaign back at Dinah Shore Friday.

The top 100 players plus ties after four rounds will advance to Stage 2 of the three-stage qualifier.

Piccio and Ardina are trying to become the next Filipinas to play in the lucrative LPGA Tour after Jennifer Rosales earned her card in 1999 by finishing joint seventh in the final qualifying.

In the Final Stage, the top 70 players and ties after 72 holes will advance to the final round set at the Champion Course. The top finishers will receive LPGA membership although the total number has yet to be determined prior to the start of Stage 3.