SAN DIEGO—A second triple championship feat in three years loomed large for a highly charged Philippine delegation here as Dottie Ardina, Miggy Yee and Bernice Olivares-Ilas paced their respective divisions after the penultimate round Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) of the Callaway Junior World golf championships.

While Ardina and Olivares-Ilas expectedly inched ahead in the girls’ side, it was big boy Yee who continued to defy the odds with his immense power as he barreled ahead by two strokes in the boys’ 11-12 years.

The 11-year-old Yee, who has become the apple of the eye of scouts and equipment manufacturers here with 300-yard drives he hits so leisurely, birdied all six par-5s in a big round of three-under-par 69 at Rancho San Marcos in Escondido.

The 5-foot-7, 220-pound basher, who never placed higher than seventh in three appearances here, found himself knocking on the championship door and seems very much ready for a huge character test in Thursday’s final round.

“He was relaxed and pressure-free today,” said Miggy’s father Sonny. “He played as if it were a practice round.”

At 139 after 36 holes, Yee leads Thai Korntawach Julamool by two strokes and first-round leader Viraat Badwhari of India and Indonesia’s Jordan Surya Irawan by three. Julamool finished birdie-birdie for his own 69, Irawan also had a 69 while Viraat struggled to a 74.

As an 11-year-old, Ardina formed part of the title treble in 2006 with the absent Cyna Rodriguez and Mia Legaspi. Now 14, she and little Bernice will have to be a bit more consistent to make it happen.

The numbers on Ardina’s card were a merry mix of birdies, bogeys and even a double-bogey—on the fourth—but it was a birdie on the 17th that pushed her ahead of Alina Ching of Hawaii.

Shooting a 71 for a 141 total and with a one-shot lead over Ching (72-142), Ardina tries to nail her third Junior World crown in six years.

With enthusiastic family members watching from the sidelines, including former Parañaque mayor and grandfather Pablo Olivarez, Bernice set up a duel with Manila-based Malaysian Natasha Andrea Oon in the 6-under division at the pitch-and-putt Colina Park.

Bernice and Oon both shot 57s and stood 1-2 at 117 and 118, respectively. Erstwhile leader Karah Sanford of California slid to third at 121 after a 65.

In the other divisions, Rupert Saragoza III leapfrogged into a share of seventh in boys’ 9-10 by carding a 62-125. He lay five shots off the lead.

Daniella Uy, third in the girls’ 11-12 in Round 1, fell to joint 10th with a 78-151, now seven off the division’s two leaders.

Fourteen of the 41 RP bets, however, failed to make the cut.

The Philippine results:

Class A (Torrey Pines South par-72)—Boys: 79-153 John Kier Abdon (T39), 75-152 Marcel Puyat (T27 leader 142 Tao Huang 72), 79-159 Jobim Carlos (T95), 77-162 Marvin Mendoza (T124)
Girls (Carlton Oaks par-72): 77-152 Chihiro Ikeda (T21), 73-150 Regina de Guzman (T14 leader Danielle Frasier 74-143), 75-153 Sunshine Baraquiel (T25), 87-165 Louise Manalo (T87)

Class B (Riverwalk par-72)—Boys: 77-151 Bino dela Paz (T36 leader at 137), 81-159 Kevin Paul Orillos (MC), 79-159 Miguel Tabuena (MC), 74-154 Vijay Vasandani (MC)
Girls (Sycuan Resort-Oak Glen): 71-141 Dottie Ardina (1st), 75-151 Marvi Monsalve (T25), 71-151 Sarah Jane Ababa (T25), 76-151 Andie Unson (T29), 82-163 Angela de Villa (MC), 80-163 Katya dela Cruz (MC)

Class C (Lake San Marcos par-72)—Boys: 69-139 Miggy Yee, 74-145 AR Ramos (T7), 77-157 Keanu Jahns (MC)
Girls: 78-151 Lou Daniella Uy (T10), 80-162 Felicia Medalla (MC), 78-163 Juily Vasandani (MC)

Class D (Lawrence Welk par-62)—Boys: 62-125 Ruperto Zaragosa III (T7 leader at 120), 61-129 Kristoffer Arevalo (T20), 67-136 Justin Dy (MC)
Girls (Lomas Santa Fe par-56): 59-124 Mia Legaspi (T16 leader at 110), 64-128 Bianca Pagdanganan (MC), 62-130 Pauline del Rosario (MC), 65-133 Abegail Arevalo (MC)

Class E (Sycuan-Pine Glen par-58)—Boys: 63-126 Shailesh Vasandani (T21), leader Ahmed Ali at 56-113, 64-127 Ryan Monsalve (T24),) Paolo Nicomedes (WD)
Girls: 71-137 Kristine Torralba (MC), 69-138 Chloe Reyes (MC)

Class F (Colina Park par-54)—Girls: 57-117 Bernice Olivarez-Ilas (1st)
Boys: 72-143 Alex Bernard Trinos III (T30), 87-172 Miguel Amando Ilas (45th), 90-182 Joaquin Leandro Tronco (46th)