ANTIPOLO – In a remarkable display of poise and skill, 13-year-old Korean An Yunju upstaged a seasoned field at the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour, carding a gritty 73 under wet conditions to take a two-shot lead at the ICTSI Forest Hills Classic here on Wednesday.
The young sensation, fresh from a victory in the Junior PGT Luzon Series 6 at Mount Malarayat, proved her mettle once again on the Nicklaus course, despite challenging weather and an hour-long delay.
Yunju, the only amateur among the 19-player field, started strong with a birdie on the opening hole but stumbled with bogeys on holes 2, 9, and 14. Nonetheless, her steady play allowed her to climb to the top of the leaderboard in the opening round of the 54-hole tournament, the seventh leg of the LPGT circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.
“I just took a break and was able to prepare,” Yunju said through an interpreter, reflecting on her time off after her victory in Lipa City, Batangas.
However, despite her inspiring start, she expressed slight disappointment, saying, “I couldn’t hit a lot of birdies,” vowing to stay focused in the upcoming rounds.
Jiwon Lee, coming off a victory at Splendido Taal in her LPGT debut, surged early with two birdies and two bogeys in her first nine holes. But bogeys on Nos. 12 and 14, followed by a double bogey on the par-5 16th, dropped her to joint second with a 75, tied with Florence Bisera and Apple Fudolin.
Bisera, a former LPGT champion at South Pacific, was steady through the first 10 holes, but a costly double bogey on the 12th left her with a 36-39 card, while Fudolin, despite birdieing the eighth and 16th, finished the day with a 38-37 round.
Meanwhile, Sarah Ababa, who also birdied the first hole, found herself sharing the lead despite three bogeys over the next nine holes. However, three additional bogeys in the final five holes dropped her to a tie for fifth, alongside Chihiro Ikeda, Miya Legaspi and Kayla Nocum, all of whom carded 76s.
Veterans Seoyun Kim and Gretchen Villacencio posted matching 77s, while Kristine Fleetwood recorded a 78 to round out the top contenders.
Mikha Fortuna struggled with five bogeys in her final seven holes, finishing with a 79, tied with Velinda Castil, Laurea Duque and Pamela Mariano, while Mafy Singson also had a rough day, carding an 80.
However, it was Harmie Constantino, a three-leg LPGT winner and one of the pre-tournament favorites, who endured the most difficult round. She shot an error-filled 82, marred by six bogeys and a double bogey on the front nine, and failed to recover on the back nine.
With two rounds left, local veterans and previous winners, including Lee, are expected to make a push. But Yunju remains focused on capitalizing on her solid opening round and extending her lead over the shaky field.
