Superal 2nd in ‘Nicklaus’; Dottie, JRo miss LPGA cut

MANILA, Philippines - Heavy rains washed out the final round of the Mission Hills Jack Nicklaus Junior tournament, giving Taiwanese Lai Ting the crown in premier division with Princess Superal settling for second in Mission Hills, World Cup Course in China yesterday.

The top ICTSI-backed bet had moved to within three off Lai with a solid two-under 70 in the second round but failed to resume her comeback bid after organizers decided to cancel the third and final round of the 54-hole tournament due to inclement weather.

Lai, who struggled with a 74 on the second day, thus clinched the Under-18 diadem with a 144. The Filipino ace shotmaker, winner of the Kuala Lumpur and Royal Selangor titles in Malaysia recently, finished second with a 147.

Taiwan’s Chang Yu Hsin wound up third with a 145 after a 75 in the second round.

Mika Fortuna, also a member of the ICTSI squad, ended up second in the Under-15 section, losing the crown to Yuka Saso in the countback.

Saso fired a 72 Thursday while Fortuna, who led in the first round with a 70, faltered wth a 75 to finish tied at 145.

Junior World (13-14) champion Pauline del Rosario had a 147 after a 76 while teammate Bernice Olivarez-Ilas had a 153 after a 74.

In the LPGA Airbus Classic in Mobile, Alabama, Jennifer Rosales, who fired a 69 to be in title contention after the first round, shot a 74 in the second round and bombed out of the tournament. She missed the cut at 142 by one shot. Dottie Ardina, making her second appearance in the LPGA, also missed the cut with a second-to-last 76-78 (154).