As expected, Princess Superal broke out of the gates hard yesterday and established firm control early in the 51st Southern Ladies Open championship.
Shooting down five birdies, Superal carved out a four-under-par 68 for 58 points and a four-point lead over Yuka Saso after the opening round of the 54-hole event presented by the MVP Sports Foundation at Apo Golf in Davao.
The 16-year-old Superal said that she played her first event since winning the US Junior Girls’ championship without pressure and failed to rescue par only on the 12th hole after missing the green and muffing a driver-length putt.
“There was no pressure (on me) at all. I just came out there and played my game,” Superal said, who is gunning to win the event for the third straight year. “I just want to come out (for the final two rounds) thinking of the same strategy. I don’t want to pressure myself to win.”
Abegail Arevalo was in third spot, seven points off the pace, after a 75 and Sofia Chabon shot a 49 as members of the formidable The Country Club team took the first four places.
“There are still two rounds to be played,” Superal said. “I need to keep playing the way I can because the field is tough.”
The event is also part of the PLDT Group Amateur Tour and is backed by the Philippine Sports Commission and Casino Filipino-Davao.