Thais lead Champion Tour

CARMONA, Cavite – Thai Ploychompoo Wirairungreung turned in a solid even-under 65 to wrest a two-stroke lead over Taiwanese amateur Hou Yu-Chiang at the start of the ICTSI Champion Tour at the Manila Southwoods on Wednesday.

Wirairungreung also outshone local bet Princess Superal.

While majority of the starting 100-player field struggled on the soggy fairways of the Legends course that played longer than its 6543 yardage, Wirairungreung and Hou, who shot a 67, romped off with the day’s two bogey-free rounds as they seized the 1-2 posts in the $75,000 event sponsored by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

Hou’s sister Yu-Sang, also an amateur, missed wresting solo third with a bogey on the par-5 17th and dropped to joint third with Thai Chatprapa Siriprakob at 69 while Superal holed out with a birdie to save a 70 for a share of fifth with Taiwanese Lee Hsin and Lee Chia-Pei, Aunchisa Utama and Supamas Sangchan of Thailand and Singapore’s Amelia Wong.

What made Wirairungreung’s feat doubly impressive was that she did it on her first foray on a rain-hit course that she said suited her game.

“This is the course I love. My approach shots are good and I like the fairways though it’s wet because I can chop the ball,” said the 23-year-old Wirairungreung, who flashed solid driving and iron play to upstage Superal and Taiwanese Ching Huang in one of the featured threesomes, highlighting her impeccable 32-33 round with superb putting that helped produce seven birdies, including four at the front.

“I really had it going. Even when I’m in trouble, I would recover and make par saves,” said the 5-11 shotmaker from Chiang Rai, winner of two pro events who drilled in four birdies at the front inside 14 feet, birdied Nos. 12 and 13 and capped her sterling round with a nine-footer on the 18th.

Yu-Chiang also turned in a flawless card of 34-33 that kept the 18-year-old Taiwanese in step with Wirairungreung after 12 holes before the Thai, who placed second to amateur Yuka Saso in the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour’s kickoff leg at Ayala Greenfield last January, birdied No. 13 to take control before matching Superal’s closing birdie to gain a two-shot cushion in the 54-hole championship.

“I didn’t expect to play this way. The course was quite short so I took advantage by giving myself more birdie chances,” said Yu-Chiang.

Superal never got to get closer to Wirairungreung despite going two-under after 12 holes as the LPGT winner at Highlands and Riviera last March faltered with a bogey on No. 13 before regaining the stroke on the last.

But the other fancied locals failed to dish out the games expected of them with reigning Ladies PGT Order of Merit winner Pauline del Rosario blowing a one-under card after five holes at the back with two bogeys and a double-bogey, needing to birdie the ninth to salvage a 74, nine strokes off the pace.

LPGT Eagle Ridge winner Chihiro Ikeda stumbled with a 75 while former three-time LPGT OOM champion Cyna Rodriguez shot herself in the foot with a 78 marred by two triple bogeys, a double bogey and one bogey against three birdies.

The next best local players after Superal were amateurs Sunshine Baraquiel and Harmie Constantino, who carded identical 73s for joint 30th while Annika Cedo, also an amateur, matching Del Rosario’s two-over round in the 54-hole tournament.

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