Saso up by 3; Kim hikes jungolf lead

MANILA, Philippines – Yuka Saso bucked a poor start, a shaky finish and the heat as she shot a three-under 69 to dislodge erstwhile leader Harmie Constantino even as Tom Kim padded his lead to three in the men’s side with a gutsy 72 halfway through Philippine Junior Amateur Open Golf Championship (Strokeplay) at the Sherwood Hills Golf Club in Trece Martirez, Cavite yesterday.

Saso quickly settled down after a one-over card after three holes, gunning down five birdies in the next 11 to cushion the impact of another bogey mishap on the par-5 15, giving the national team mainstay a 34-35 card and a three-stroke lead over Constantino with a five-under 139, counting her opening 70.

Impressive with a four-under 68 Tuesday, Constantino stumbled with two bogeys against a birdie at the front and failed to recover with a three-bogey, two-birdie stint coming home, the pair of 37s dropping her to second at 142, now three strokes adrift.

Mikha Fortuna rebounded from a 75 with an even par 72 but her 147 kept her eight strokes behind heading to the last 36 holes of the annual championship for players 17-years-old-and-below and sponsored by the MVP Sports Foundation, Smart, PLDT and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and hosted by Sherwood Hills Golf Club.

Hwang Min Jeong, a winner of a pro tournament in the ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour last year, also fought back from a woeful 78 with a two-under 70. But like Fortuna, the young Korean lass stood too far behind at 148.

But while the lead changed hands in the distaff side, Kim stayed in control of the men’s section of the event serving as part of the PLDT Group National Amateur Golf Tour, even padding his lead to three despite a scrambling 72 for a 143 as his pursuers likewise struggled in tough conditions.