Superal’s 66 leaves Filipinas 7 shots up

NAY PYI TAW – Light winds and a course that played long worked to the benefit of the Philippine ladies team, specially for 16-year-old Princess Superal, who breezed home with a six-under-par 66 yesterday and a six-stroke edge that put her and the squad in a strong position for the individual and team titles going into the final round of the Southeast Asian Games golf competitions here.

The splendid effort of the Phl ladies, a last-minute entry in the SEA Games golf team, made up for a bad day for the men’s team, which had 227 for 667 after the third round, 18 shots behind third placed Malaysia (637) and 33 behind front-running Thailand (622).

Superal, winner of the Singapore Amateur Open last March and silver medalist in this year’s Asian Youth Games, hit three birdies in the backside where she started – hobbled briefly by a 14th hole bogey from the greenside bunker – for a two-under 34.

She birdied four holes at the front side, two from six feet or less, one from a downhill putt from 16 feet and one from 23 feet as she recovered her putting touch which hounded her in the first round.

“We did some putting for about two hours after the first round, and it helped me a lot in the round,” said the top ICTSI-backed bet, who had a two-day total of four-under 138, six-up on Yin May Myo of Myanmar, who had a 144.

Lying three shots farther at 147 and with chances at the silver medal were teammate Mia Legaspi, who had a 75 (37-38), Malaysian Michelle Lay Sia Koh of Malaysia (36-39), May Oo Khine of Myanmar (33-37) and Supamas Saychan of Thailand (38-37).

Kathy Briones had a 37-36 for the day for a two-round total of 152 at 11th place with two others.

With the 66 of Superal and 73 of Briones, the ladies team had 139-283, which put the Philippines on course also for the team gold as it assumed an overall lead of seven over host Myanmar and 12 over Thailand.

“We hold the chance to win the gold. I am confident because they have been playing very well. I think an even par tomorrow will give us the gold,” said women’s coach Carito Villaroman.

“The course is playing longer and it fits the ladies’ game. The course best fits Myanmar’s men’s team but not their ladies. It’s to our advantage.”

“We are up by seven over the host team but I am more wary of Thailand which is a fighting team and more consistent,” said Villaroman.

Legaspi, who had a par-72 in the first round, went three over par in the second round. She bogeyed the first and third holes for 38 and had three more on the backside – in the 10th, 15th and 18th. Her birdies in the 12th and14th gave her a 37 and saved her from what could have been a disastrous day.

The men’s team had a third round total of 204 from the 71 of Jobim Carlos and 72 of Rupert Zaragosa and Raphael Quiban.John Kier Abdon’s 78 didn’t count in the four-to-play, three-to-count format of competition.

Thailand occupied the 1-2-3 positions in individual play. Zaragosa was 16th with a three-day total of 218, 14 shots off the pace, with Carlos at 19th 220, Abdon at 25th with 224 and Quiban with 229.