Superal claims No. 3 seed in WWGA meet

MANILA, Philippines - Princess Superal primed up for the knockout stage with an even par 72, clinching the No. 3 seed after the 36-hole stroke play elims in the 114th Women’s Western Golf Association at the Lancaster Country Club in Lancaster, Pennsylvania Tuesday.

Superal, who opened with a 74 Monday, hit three birdies to negate her three bogeys as she pooled a 146, just two strokes behind California’s Mika Liu, who took the low medal honors with a 144 after a 71.

The top ICTSI-backed bet will take on local bet Stani Schiavone, who shot an 80 and 78 to barely make the top 64 cut at 158.

Superal, who topped last week’s US Girls Sectional Qualifier in Missouri, gunned down back-to-back birdies from No. 2 but fumbled with a missed-green bogey on the seventh. The 17-year-old reigning SEA Games individual gold medalist and winner of this year’s Kuala Lumpur, Royal Selangor and Jakarta Junior Opens, however, wavered coming home, bogeying Nos. 13 and 15 to settle for an even par.

She hopes to toughen up in the knockout phase, first against Schiavone while the 15-year-old Liu is also tipped to get past Hannah Wood, who nailed the last spot, also with a 158 after a 77.