TAGAYTAY. – Sunshine Baraquiel, whose wobbly windup cost her the first day honors last Tuesday, sizzled at the finish this time, birdying two of the last four holes for a 72 and surged ahead by two in the second round of the ICTSI Tagaytay Highlands Ladies Challenge here Wednesday.
It was in stark contrast to her meltdown in the first round that saw her bogey two of the last three and yield the lead to amateur Mafy Singson with a 77. The 30-year-old, back on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour after completing flying lessons in the US, tied for the lead with a birdie on the first hole but fell with a thud with a dismal five-bogey slide from No. 2, the last a three-putt miscue.
She, however, didn’t stray too far behind with a run of pars until she made her move with a birdie on No. 15 then stormed upfront with another birdie on the last hole for a 38-34 and a 36-hole aggregate of nine-over 149.
“I made a long putt for birdie on No. 1 then I don’t know how I blew it and I ended up having five bogeys in a row,” said Baraquiel. “I got mad but I told myself to ‘wake up’ and ‘start fresh.’ After that I shot two-under.”
Chihiro Ikeda also produced a 72 in another topsy-turvy day at the exacting Highlands course as she moved into position to end a two-year title spell with a 151, the same output of Daniella Uy, who dropped three strokes in the first two holes but parred the last 12 to save a 73 and nurture hopes of ending a long title drought.
Singson birdied the last hole to check an impending skid and post a second 76 but the top amateur dropped from second to fourth with a 152, three strokes behind, while Harmie Constantino blew a gutsy even-par 34 start with a backside 42 marred by two double bogeys and a couple of bogeys.
The Eagle Ridge-Aoki leg winner ended up with a six-over 76 and tumbled to fifth with 153 while Chanelle Avaricio bounced back with a 75 after an 81 but lay stood strokes off the pace with 156 in a tie with Lovelyn Guioguio, who rallied with a 73.
Amateurs Burberry Zhang and Laurea Duque posted identical 157s after a 77 and 80, respectively, while Korean pro Jane Jeong skied to an 81 for a 158.
Baraquiel credited her driving and approach shots for her surge and added her putting and short game, which have been missing majority of her campaign, clicked when they mattered most.
“My putting and short game, which I said needed some work, worked for me in the end,” added Baraquiel, now 18 holes away from nailing a breakthrough in the circuit put up by ICTSI.
