Korean thwarts Princess by one

MANILA, Philippines—Recovering from a bad start, baby-faced Korean Hwang Ye-nah fended off amateur star Princess Superal to win the $75,000 ICTSI Ladies Open by a shot at the tight Southlinks layout Friday.

Hwang, already a seasoned pro at 21, steadied herself after a double bogey-bogey start and calmly two-putted from 18 feet for a closing three-over-par 75 and a 209 total that was enough to frustrate the hard-fighting Superal and the small gallery that followed the hometown heroine in the scorching heat.

Superal got the strong start that she wanted but stumbled with a grievous miscue on the ninth hole that resulted in a triple bogey-7 and left her with a 74 to settle for runner-up honors and the low amateur title.

“I was very angry at myself,” Hwang said in broken English, referring to the three shots she dropped on her first two holes. “But I am happy [to win].”

Superal, the country’s best in the ranks who won’t be in the Southeast Asian Games squad that will defend two gold medals in Singapore in June, held a two-shot lead going to the ninth before disaster struck.

Her tee shot clipped a tree on the left side of the fairway, her ball getting embedded in thick rough that she had to take a one-stroke penalty for an unplayable lie.

Then the 18-year-old found the right greenside bunker with her approach and needed two strokes from a downhill lie to make the green in five. A pin-length putt for a six lipped out for that triple.

“I guess it just wasn’t for me,” said Superal, who even asked the Inquirer in jest if she still wasn’t seeded to the national team despite her solid form here.

She had a chance to forge a playoff on the last hole, but her 15-foot birdie putt missed the cup by two inches.

Yeh Hsin-ning, a comely Taiwanese, rallied with a 68 in tough conditions to catch Thailand’s Kanphanitnan Muangkhumsakul (74) for third at 215 in the event presented by Champion Infiniti and backed by Nike, Sharp and Custom Clubmakers.

Co-first round leader Mia Piccio fired a 74 and pooled 218, even as Jennifer Rosales atoned for a second-round 81 with a 68 to finish in the Top 10 at 221.

Cyna Rodriguez carded a 75 for 220, with Fil-Japanese amateur Yuka Saso (79) tying for 10th spot with Korea’s Kang Ji-won (78) at 222.