DAVAO CITY — Chanelle Avaricio is done looking back.

Armed with a red-hot start, steely focus, and the sting of a missed opportunity still fresh in her mind, Avaricio surged to a commanding lead at the ICTSI Apo Golf Classic, intent on finishing what she couldn’t last week.

Haunted by her collapse at Del Monte, where a five-shot cushion dissolved into a gut-wrenching playoff loss to Sarah Ababa, Avaricio came out swinging at Apo Golf and Country Club on Wednesday. This time, she looked every bit like a player on a mission.

A sparkling four-under-par 68, highlighted by a sensational eagle-2 on the opening hole, vaulted her to an eight-shot lead at the halfway mark of the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour stop.

“My short game really carried me today — especially the putting,” said Avaricio, whose 140 aggregate kept her well ahead of Princess Superal (73-148).

“But more than anything, it was my mindset. I came in with a purpose. What happened at Del Monte... I don’t want to feel that again.”

Despite the massive cushion, Avaricio is cautious. The scars of Del Monte, where she stumbled late and lost in sudden death, haven’t fully healed — but they’ve certainly sharpened her resolve.

“No major changes. Just play my best and hope for the best,” said Avaricio, who won at Forest Hills last June and looked poised to repeat before the unraveling at Del Monte.

“It’s the same situation as last week. I know I have a good chance, but anything can happen.”

She wasted no time setting the tone at Apo. On the very first hole — a dogleg par-4 — Avaricio unleashed a booming drive, then pulled her trusty 50-degree wedge from 100 yards. One smooth swing, one perfect hop, and the ball vanished into the cup for eagle.

“I hit it straight, and it went in,” she said with a grin — the kind that says, I’m not here to play it safe.

She added a birdie on the par-3 No. 4, bounced back from a bogey on No. 5, then stitched together birdies on Nos. 14 and 17 to complete a clinical 34-34 card — a statement round, and perhaps a preview of what’s to come.

Meanwhile, the rest of the field struggled to keep pace.

Mafy Singson, who trailed by just one after Day 1, ballooned to a 79 and dropped 12 shots off the pace (152). Superal climbed to solo second, but even her steady 73 left her eight shots back — a daunting gap with one round to play.

Florence Bisera (71), Rev Alcantara (74), Chihiro Ikeda (74) and Daniella Uy (75) all sit at 149, nine strokes behind. Even Ababa, last week’s comeback queen, could only manage a 74 after an opening 78, stuck at 152.

With such a commanding lead, whispers of a runaway win are inevitable. But Avaricio is staying grounded.

“Golf has a way of humbling you quickly,” she said. “I’m happy with where I’m at, but nothing’s done until the last putt drops. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way.”

Still, all signs point to redemption. If Avaricio keeps her rhythm and nerve, she won’t just erase the sting of Del Monte — she’ll do it emphatically.