By Jean Malanum
MANILA – Pauline Del Rosario registered a 69, placing her one stroke off the leaders at the start of the ICTSI Worldwide Link Philippine Ladies Masters at The Country Club in Sta. Rosa, Laguna on Wednesday.
She birdied the last two holes to finish with a 34-35 card.
“I didn’t do anything special to prepare for this tournament,” said Del Rosario, who was tied for 11th in Jakarta.
“I just took a week off after the Indonesian Open and stuck to my usual routine – range practice and short game work,” added the first Filipina to win on the LPGA of Taiwan in 2017.
Parinda Phokan of Thailand and Kim Nah-yun of South Korea both fired 68s to share the lead in the 54-hole tournament held in collaboration with the Korean LPGA, the LPGA of Taiwan and the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.
“My driving was strong, and my short game was nearly flawless, with an impressive up-and-down success rate,” Phokan said. “The fairways and greens are in excellent condition – almost perfect.”
Kim, on the other hand, had two birdies in her first four holes at the back, and made three birdies in the first five holes at the front.
“Most of my shots were great today (Wednesday), but I think my second hole on the back nine was the highlight of my round,” she said.
“This is my first time playing in the Philippines. I was disappointed with my last tournament in Indonesia, but I worked hard in practice, and today’s performance was a great result.”
Seventeen flights were still to complete play at press time. (PNA)
