Singson all but clinches Cactus Tour crown with 67; Baraquiel in WAPT hunt

MANILA, Philippines – Mafy Singson rebounded strong from an opening one-over 72 with a blistering 67 Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila time) to all but wrap up the Primm Valley GC-Primm NV crown at the Primm Valley Resort and Casino Lakes course in Nevada, Las Vegas.

Singson bucked a bogey opening with three birdies in a four-hole stretch from No. 4 then hit back-to-back birdies from No. 13 as she tamed the par-71 layout with a 34-33 card and ripped the field with a 36-hole aggregate of 139.

The ICTSI-backed amateur thus heads to the final round of the three-day tournament with a whopping 14-stroke lead over Kendall Cripe from California and fellow amateur Isabel Prado from Texas, who matched 153s after a 74 and 76, respectively.

Singson kicked off her Cactus Tour campaign with an eighth-place finish in last week’s Wildhorse-Henderson NV in Wild Horse, also in Vegas, after nailing her second Ladies Philippine Golf Tour crown at Valley Golf in Antipolo.

The many-time national team mainstay is seeking to better Abby Arevalo’s 11-shot romp in the latter's pro debut in the Cactus Tour leg, the Stallion Mountain Las Vegas Championship, in 2021.
Meanwhile, Sunshine Baraquiel birdied Nos. 16 and 17 to cap a superb 68 as she trailed Canadian Brigitte Thibault by two strokes after 18 holes of the Oscar Williams Classic of the WAPT (Women’s All Pro Tour) in Anna, Texas, also Tuesday.

A one-time LPGT winner in Tagaytay Highlands, Baraquiel mixed two birdies against a bogey at the front then waxed hot at the backside of the Hurricane Creek course, picking up strokes on Nos. 11, 13 and 14 to negate her mishaps on Nos. 12 and 15. She then closed out with a birdie-birdie run from No. 16 to tie Mary Parsons, also of Canada, and Maddie McCrary of the US at second, just two shots behind Thibault, who highlighted her opening 66 with an eagle on the par-5 17th.

Parsons actually gunned down two eagles (Nos. 2 and 17) and shot three birdies but made three bogeys for a pair of 34s, while McCrary banked on her three-birdie string from No. 4 and birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 to overcome a lone bogey on No. 15 for a 33-35 card.

It was a big bounce-back round for Baraquiel, who missed the cut in the Hideout Open in Brownwood and in the Mackie Construction Pro Golf Classic in Abilene, both in Texas, the last two weeks.

The lady pilot tied for 29th in the Beaumont Emergency Hospital Open in Beaumont last month where Filipino top amateur Rianne Malixi finished third.