Quintanilla on brink of crown

MANILA, Philippines — Grace Quintanilla birdied three of her last four holes to make up for a bum start, going on to shoot a one-under-par 70 that gave the Filipino teen from Cebu a six-shot lead heading into the final round of women’s play of the Singapore Amateur Open at the age-old Bukit course of Singapore Island Country Club yesterday.

Quintanilla actually played her last nine holes in 32 for a 54-hole 208 as she finished strong after dropping three shots in a five-hole span from No. 3, leaving home bet Amelie Ng six shots behind even after her best round of the week, a 69, that had her catching Hong Kong China’s Xizihan Wang at 214.

Hei Tung Leung, another entry from the HK-China squad who started the day just a shot behind Quintanilla, ballooned to a 78 where she bogeyed eight of her first 12 holes to basically shoot herself out of the individual championship race, now nine shots back.