Princess Superal fumbled at the finish and hobbled with a two-over 74 as pressure mounted in the second round of the LPGA and Symetra Tour Qualifying School-Stage II at the Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Florida Friday.
Mia Piccio and amateur Regan de Guzman also stumbled with over par scores in tough conditions, turning in a pair of 76s but remained with the cut-off score with 36 holes let in the elims where the top 80 plus ties from the starting field of 193 will advance to the Final Stage in December.
Superal, who turned in a strong joint runner-up effort in the first stage in California and shot a decent 73 at the Panther course Thursday, birdied the second hole of the Bobcat course but dropped strokes on Nos. 4 and 10 then birdied the par-5 16th to go even.
But the former US Girls’ Junior champion missed the green in the last two holes and failed to return a pair of seven-footers, settling for a 36-38 and dropping to joint 62nd at 147.
Piccio, who opened with an impressive 70 at Bobcat, failed to sustain her charge at the tougher Panther layout, closing out with a birdie-less 37-39 card marred by three straight bogeys from No. 15, slipping from a share of 25th to join the Superal and 10 others at 62nd.
De Guzman, whose eagle-spiked 73 at Panther also put her in joint 58th in the first round, also lost her momentum at Bobcat, fumbling with a double-bogey and three bogeys against a lone bogey, her pair of 38s dropping her to a share of 79th with 14 others at 149.
“Poor iron shots and shaky putting stymied Princess and Piccio’s bid. But they’ll settle down in time. Just have to rebound in the third round and hope for the best in the final day,” said Team The Country Club coach Bong Lopez.
American Maia Schechter matched her opening 68 at Panther with a 34-34 card at Bobcat as she wrested the lead at 136, one stroke ahead off Marianne Skarpnord of Norway, who also turned in a 68 for a 137.
