Tagaytay – Thai Pannapa Polnamin turned from dismal to superb in a matter of days, shooting an eagle-spiked eight-under 64 to seize a four-stroke lead and spoil Princess Superal’s hole-in-one feat and compatriot Ploychompoo Wirairungreung’s sustained charge in the rain-hit ICTSI Champion Tour at Tagaytay Midlands here.
Polnamin actually extended her run of poor form following a tied for last finish in last week’s weather-shortened ICTSI Champion Tour at Manila Southwoods ruled by Wirairungreung, bogeying the par-4 11th, the frontside of her game yesterday. But she hit her stride off the tee and found her touch on the greens, coming through with back-to-back birdies from No. 13 and adding another on No. 16, all inside 10 feet.
The 22-year-old shotmaker then holed out with an eagle off a superb 3-wood second shot from 230 yards to within nine feet on the par-5 18th then capped her charge with four birdies in the first five holes at the front to complete a pair of 32s and build a big cushion over Superal, Wirairungreung and comebacking Tiranan Yoopan before play was halted due to threat of lightning.
“Driving and putting were great today (yesterday),” said Polnamin, who struggled with 74 and 75 at Southwoods’ Legends course and wound up joint 52nd last Thursday.
A slew of others pressed their bid after the 90-minute weather delay but all faltered, including last year’s Philippine Ladies Masters champion Renuka Suksukont, also of Thailand, who pulled within two on a four-birdie binge from No. 3 to go six-under but dropped to joint second with Superal and company with a double-bogey on her closing ninth hole for a 68.
From a mediocre one-birdie round marred by flubbed birdie putts after 16 holes to stay in the middle of the 104-player starting field, Superal also made a huge turnaround at the finish, acing No. 17 then birdying the last to turn in a bogey-free 68 – and back in contention.
“I knew I hit it straight and through. The ball made one bounce then rolled for two feet into the cup,” said Superal, who used a Ping 6-iron and a Bridgestone Tour BX #3 ball on the 151-yard hole for her third career ace witnessed by flightmates Supakchaya Pattaranakrueng of Thailand and Taiwanese amateur Hou Yu-Sang.
But her ace and those of Wirairungreung’s equally impressive start of 34-34 and Yoopan’s 33-35 card took a backseat to Polnamin’s awesome start in the $75,000 event put up by ICTSI and serving as the final leg of the 11-stage Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.
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Wirairungreung, who pocketed $15,000 in a 36-hole, bogey-free romp at Southwoods, kept her flawless run with three birdies in the first five holes but stumbled with her first bogey after 44 holes on the ninth as she struggled on the slow putting surface. The Chiang Rai native, however, recovered the stroke on No. 13 then birdied the 17th to stay on course for a second straight crown in the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.
“I’m still adjusting to the slow greens which I don’t like. Putting them on sloping areas made it more difficult to read them,” rued Wirairungreung.
Yoopan, a regular LPGT campaigner who skipped the Southwoods leg due to previous commitment, missed wresting solo second with a bogey on No. 8 that came after the comely shotmaker rattled off three-straight birdies from No. 5.
Two-leg LPGT winner Yupaporn Kawinpakorn, also of Thailand, sizzled coming home at the front, hitting four birdies to finish with a 69 in a tie with Thaiwanese Lai Yi-Ting and Chen Meng-Chun, and Thai Nattagate Nimitpongkul.
Japanese Izumi Narida carded a 70 while Singaporan Koh Sock Hwee, 2016 Phl Ladies Masters titlist Saranporn Langkulgasettrin, Parinda Phokan and Waralee Atcharerk turned in identical 71s.
Pauline del Rosario hit two birdies at the front to salvage a 72 for joint 20th with 11 others in the event backed by Custom Clubmakers, BDO, Meralco, Sharp, KZGm PLDT, Champion, Summit Mineral Water and K&G Golf.