Superal seals Southern Ladies ‘3-peat’

PLAYING with amazing focus, Princess Superal yesterday fired an eagle-spiked two-under-par 70 worth 56 points to leave the field eating her dust and complete a Southern Ladies Open “three-peat” at tree-lined Apo Golf in Davao.

Counting earlier rounds of 58 and 57, Superal tallied 171 points and won by 10 over Filipino-Japanese Yuka Saso, who closed out with 50 in the event presented by the MVP Sports Foundation as part of the PLDT Group Amateur Tour.

“I just played well the whole week,” the 16-year-old Superal told the Inquirer. “It’s a good confidence booster for me going into the World Amateurs in Japan.”

Superal will spearhead the rock-solid The Country Club squad in the world joust early next month as she teams up with fellow multititled campaigners Miya Legaspi and Pauline del Rosario.

The reigning US Junior Girls’ champion Superal was actually playing a roller-coaster round with three birdies against the same number of bogeys in her first 17 holes, before knocking a 4-wood approach stiff from 190 yards to within 16 feet on the par-5 18th for that eagle.

Sofia Chabon fired 51 for third at 155, with Sam Martirez and Abegail Arevalo completing Team TCC’s sweep of the top five places.

Martirez fired 48 points for 147, with Arevalo, a winner two weeks ago in another junior tournament in the United States, closing out with 51 points for 146.

Gendel Dela Cerna ruled Class A play of the event backed by the Philippine Sports Commission and Casino Filipino-Davao, shooting 51 points to win by 19 with a 150 tally.

Irene Shinmura was second after 42, the same output of Evangeline Omlang, who placed third.