Del Rosario, Superal 1 off in China

MANILA, Philippines - Pauline del Rosario and Princess Superal carded identical even par 72s to trail India’s Ridhima Dilawari by one at the start of the Faldo Series Asia Finals at the Mission Hills Golf Club’s Faldo Course in Shenzen, China late Tuesday.

Del Rosario, the reigning Junior World champion (13-14), spiked his round with an eagle on No. 15 and shot two birdies to negate her bogeys on Nos. 8, 9, 14 and 17.

Superal, chasing a follow-up to her Kuala Lumpur Amateur Open romp where she routed the field by 13 strokes, hit four birdies but fumbled with the same number of bogeys to join Del Rosario at second in the 54-hole tournament which features the top junior players in the region.

Dilawari shot two birdies against a bogey to seize control of the field with a 71 while Japan’s Minami Hiruta also fired a 72 to join the top ICTSI-backed bets at second.

Ida Patri of Indonesia made a 73 for solo fifth, guaranteeing a shootout in the event for the leading 16-and-under players during the time of the qualifying tournament last year.

Superal bounced back from a bogey on No. 5 with a six-foot birdie on the next, gunned down another seven footer on No. 7 but dropped a stroke on the ninth.

The reigning SEA Games gold medalist went one-under with another birdie on the 10th only to yield another stroke on the 12th on another missed green miscue. She rammed in a four-footer for birdie on No. 16 but failed to rescue a par on the tough 17th to drop to second.