GEN. TRIAS, Cavite – Chihiro Ikeda and Princess Superal carded identical 69s to tie Hwang Min-jeong at the helm in a tense, shaky finish that highlighted the second round yesterday and set up a shootout for the ICTSI Eagle Ridge Ladies Invitational crown at the Aoki course here.
Hwang, who seized the first round lead with a 68 Wednesday, held off the local aces’ early charge with three birdies in the first 13 holes but wavered at the finish, falling off the pace twice, re-taking the lead before gaining a piece of it on a bogey-par-birdie-double-bogey-birdie windup.
In a flight ahead, Ikeda, who eagled No. 5, took control despite flubbing a two-foot downhiller for par on the par-3 17th, which Hwang double-bogeyed, for another 69. But that missed putt later cost the Fil-Japanese the solo lead as the Korean amateur came through with that closing birdie to save a 70 and tie Ikeda at six-under 138.
Superal, who matched Ikeda’s opening 69, battled Hwang from start to finish in the featured flight, hitting four birdies after eight holes to earn a share of the lead. But the Symetra Tour campaigner failed to gain headway with two birdies against three bogeys the rest of the way but cashed in on Hwang and Ikeda’s late bogeys to match their 36-hole totals with another three-under card.