Guce sustains run; del Rosario fights back

MANILA, Philippines -- Clariss Guce kept her stellar performance despite a switch in course play, slowing down but staying in the mix with a bogey-free 68 at the Falls layout after two rounds of the LPGA Q-Series at the RTJ Magnolia Grove in Mobile, Alabama Friday (Saturday Manila time).

Pauline del Rosario, meanwhile, rebounded from a one-over 72 at Falls with a two-under 70 at Crossings, banking on a couple of late birdies in a frontside finish to get back into the thick of things in the grueling six-round elims offering cards for next year’s LPGA Tour.

Dottie Ardina, on the other hand, shot a 71 at Crossings and also stayed in strong contention for one of the Top 45 and ties spots.

There will actually be a cut after 72 holes although the LPGA hasn’t formally announced how many players will advance to the final two rounds.

Korean So Mi Lee flourished with a bogey-free six-under 65 at Falls and took command of the 104-player field with a 133, one stroke ahead of Americans Jennifer Song and Mina Harigae, who matched 134s after solid 65 and 66, both also at Falls, for 135s.

Guce, a two-time Epson Tour winner and an LPGA Tour rookie in 2019, showcased her superb short iron play, birdying the two par-3s (Nos. 6 and 11) and adding another birdie on the par-4 No. 4 to string a 33-35 after exploding with a five-birdie binge in the first nine holes at Crossings on her way to a 68 Thursday.

The US-based Filipina pooled a 136 for joint ninth, just three strokes behind Lee.

Del Rosario, who started out at tied 66th after a one-over 72 at Falls, actually slipped with a bogey on Crossings’ No. 10 where she teed off. But the ICTSI-backed shotmaker quickly recovered with birdies on Nos. 11 and 13 then bounced back from another mishap on No. 1 with birdies on Nos. 2 and 6.

Her pair of 35s and a 142 lifted her to joint 52nd in a tie with Ardina and 13 others, just a shot off the Top 45 group.

Ardina, who matched par at Falls Thursday, snapped a two-bogey, one-birdie card at the back with back-to-back birdies from No. 3 but missed a couple of chances in the last five holes to settle for a 34-37.

But del Rosario and Ardina face the challenge of putting up stronger showing in the crucial third round, knowing the rest of the bidders likewise are equally determined to elevate their games for strategic positions heading into the fourth round of play.