Thai closer to crown with 69

CARMONA, Cavite – Thai Ploychompoo Wirairungreung slowed down with a 69 but kept her bogey-free run at the Legends course with a superb wedge game as she pulled away by four shots over Princess Superal and two others after two rounds of the ICTSI Champion Tour at the Manila Southwoods on Thursday.

From a lead-grabbing seven-birdie binge in her first game at the bunker-laden layout, the power-hitting Wirairungreung settled for three this time. But she spiked her 34-35 card with a terrific short game that set up pars the five times she went out of regulation, enabling her to go bogey-free in 36 holes.

With a 10-under 134 aggregate, the 23-year-old shot-maker from Chiang Rai zeroed in on the coveted crown, this being a Taiwan LPGA Tour-sanctioned event, as she padded her overnight two-stroke lead to four heading to the final 18 holes of the first of two Champion Tour events put up by ICTSI.

It is also Wirairungreung’s second crack at a Ladies Philippine Golf Tour diadem after losing by two to local amateur Yuka Saso in the circuit’s kickoff leg at Ayala Greenfield last January.

But with a huge lead and a peerless form, the tall Thai could well be in for a trouble-free ride to the throne.

“I can’t get a good read of the breaks on the greens (yesterday),” said Wirairungreung, who missed a number of birdie chances inside 10 feet.

Superal also missed seizing solo second with a late bogey on No. 7, the backside of her game, where her par putt from six feet lipped out. But her 68 put her alongside amateur Hou Yu-Chiang of Taiwan, who scrambled for a 71, and Thai Supamas Sangchan, who rallied with an eagle-aided 68, at 138.

“That miss (on No. 7) was huge. I would’ve been down by only three,” said Superal, adding that she would need her A-game off the mound in the final round to get a chance for the crown.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.