ANTIPOLO — Chanelle Avaricio rediscovered her rhythm, touch and precision to fire a bogey-free 65 and seize a three-stroke lead over Mafy Singson after two rounds of the ICTSI Forest Hills Classic on Wednesday.

After opening with a steady 72, Avaricio found her spark early with a birdie-par-birdie start on the back nine. She added another birdie on No. 16 and kept her momentum going with a flawless front nine, picking up strokes on Nos. 1, 3, and 9 to finish with an impressive five-under-par 137 total at the Nicklaus course.

“I hit more fairways and putted pretty well,” said Avaricio, whose round was highlighted by two long birdie putts. “I can’t recall the exact distance, but both were longer than average and really boosted my confidence.”

Despite holding a solid cushion, the multi-titled Ladies Philippine Golf Tour winner remained cautious heading into Thursday’s finale.

“No expectations, but I’ll do my best and hopefully play well,” said Avaricio, who has been searching for her winning form since a standout 2022 season and a brief stint on the US circuit.

Earlier this season, she showed promise, finishing tied for fifth at the season opener in Pradera Verde and sharing fourth at Eagle Ridge. However, she never truly contended — far from the dominant form she displayed in 2022 when she recorded multiple wins before venturing into the US circuit.

Still, her closest challengers aren’t backing down.

Singson stayed within striking distance with a second-round 69 for a total of 140. She caught fire with three birdies over a six-hole stretch from No. 8 and seemed poised to make a stronger push before slipping with a bogey-birdie-bogey run from No. 15.

“I was a little more aggressive today and more birdies fell,” said Singson, the Eagle Ridge champion and consistent contender in recent tournaments.

Though three shots behind, the ICTSI-backed campaigner remained optimistic.

“Obviously, I want to play well, but I’ll take it shot by shot,” she said.

First-round leader Kristine Fleetwood faltered with a 74 after a 70, slipping into a tie for third at 144 with Sarah Ababa and Tiffany Lee, who both carded identical 71s. Mikha Fortuna turned in a 72 to join Kayla Nocum, who struggled with a 77, at 147.

Florence Bisera also returned a 72 for a 148 total, alongside Princess Superal, who stumbled with a 76, all but dimming her title hopes.