Superal birdied the first two holes then came out of a roller-coaster stint of three birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey with back-to-back birdies from No. 16. But the Symetra Tour campaigner missed going 2-up with a flubbed par-putt from six feet on the par-4 18th, enabling Chayanun and Dizon and the rest of the fancied bets to stay within striking distance of the former US Girls’ Junior champion in the P750,000 championship sponsored by ICTSI held for the first time here.
“I didn’t expect to lead since I’m still adjusting to the speed of the greens,” said Superal, who used to dominate the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour as an amateur and pro before moving to the Symetra Tour. “But I think I’m hitting my irons better than the last time (at the Philippine Ladies Masters).”
Like Superal and majority of the early contenders, Chayanun and Dizon fell prey on the tough finishing hole with undulating surface, ending up with bogeys for joint second at 67. The Thai had earlier birdied Nos. 14 and 17 while Dizon also birdied the par-3 17th to stay in contention in the 54-hole tournament serving as the final leg of a record 11-stage circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.
Dizon, one of the new members of Team The Country Club, made quite an impression in the early going when she fought back from a triple bogey on the par-5 No. 1 and a bogey on No. 3 with five birdies to round out the frontside, including four straight from No. 4.
But after drilling another birdie on No. 11 to seize the lead at two-under, she stumbled with back-to-back bogeys from No. 12 and slipped to joint second with Chayanun with a birdie-bogey finish.
Chayanun, seeking to better her joint runner-up finish at the Philippine Ladies Masters at TCC two weeks ago, matched Superal and Dizon’s 32 start but reeled back with bogeys on Nos. 10 and 13 before bouncing back with two late birdies.