Superal 3 off Taiwanese; Fortuna fades

Princess Superal atoned for her anemic opening round by firing a two-under-par 70 Friday and trailed Taiwanese Lai Ting by three shots going to the final round of the Jack Nicklaus Junior tournament at Mission Hills course in Shenzhen, China.

Superal gunned down three birdies to cushion a bogey on No. 5 as the top ICTSI-backed player improved on her 77 Thursday for a 36-hole total of 147.

Ting added a 74 to 70 for 144 heading to the final 18 holes of the Under-18 tournament among the region’s leading junior players.

But while Superal recovered her bearing, erstwhile co-leader Mika Fortuna and Pauline del Rosario lost theirs in the Under-15 category with Fortuna struggling to a 75 for 145 and Del Rosario limping home with a 76 for 147.

Fortuna shared second with Japan’s Yuka Saso (72) and lay two shots off China’s Sui Xiang (72).