HARMIE Constantino outdueled Princess Superal in a clash of aces, ramming in an eagle on No. 15 to spike a four-under-68 and take a one-stroke lead over Superal and Chihiro Ikeda after 36 holes of the ICTSI Sherwood Ladies Challenge at the Sherwood Hills Golf Club in Cavite yesterday.
Constantino, who matched Superal’s fiery start of three birdies in the first nine holes, missed gaining a two-shot cushion going to the final round as she holed out with a missed green bogey for nines of 33-35 and a 142 total, enabling Superal and erstwhile leader Ikeda to stay within a stroke at 143s after a 69 and 73, respectively.
Chanelle Avaricio also kept her breakthrough bid in the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour going, rallying from a two-bogey card with back-to-back birdies from No. 15 to save a second straight 72 for 144 although Gretchen Villacencio, who also matched par 72 in the first round, reeled back with a 75 for 147.
Daniella Uy, a former Junior World champion and veteran of the LPGA Taiwan Tour, also missed closing in on the fancied bets with a double-bogey on No. 16 as she ended up with a 73 for solo sixth at 150, eight strokes off the pace.
But the chase for the top purse of P112,000 in the first of four tournaments organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. in Cavite in the next five weeks couldn’t get any tighter with Constantino, Superal and Ikeda completing a top-tier threesome and Avaricio and Villacencio ready to pounce from the second-to-last flight.
“I started off well and kind of played steady from there,” said Constantino, who hit a superb 6-iron second shot from 165 yards on No. 15 then drilled in a 20-foot eagle putt to go 1-up over Ikeda and 2-shots clear of Superal.
That also pushed the former University of Georgia standout closer to a second straight crown after launching her pro career with a two-stroke victory over Superal at Eagle Ridge last March before the PGTI suspended the tour due to the surge of coronavirus in the country
