Superal grabs Faldo lead

Princess Superal fought back from a double-bogey on the second hole with four birdies the rest of the way to fire a two-under-par 70 Thursday and snatch a one-shot lead over Japan’s Minami Hir-uta after two rounds of the Faldo Series Asia at Mission Hills in Dongguan, China.

Two shots off Hiruta overnight, Superal gunned down three birdies on the back nine for a 33 to outduel the Japanese, who lost her grip of the lead with two late bogeys.

Superal, the top ICTSI-The Country Club bet, totaled 142 heading into the final round of the Under-21 class featuring the continent’s finest young players.

Quickly atoning for the double bogey, Superal birdied No. 4 and then caught Hiruta in the lead after the latter dropped shots on Nos. 6 and 9.

“I had a good start but I struggled a bit at the front,” said the Filipino ace, fresh off her victory in the Spring Juniors in Los Angeles last month.

Hiruta slipped to 143, still five shots up on joint third-placers Wu Yu-ching of Taiwan and Nur Durriyah Damian of Malaysia who both carded a 76 for 148s.

In the Under-16 play, Superal’s teammate Sofia Chabon struggled to a 77 and stood seven off New Zealand’s Brooke Hamilton, who had another 72 for 144.

Another Philippine bet, Leon Philip D’Souza, shot a second 70 for a 140 to grab a three-shot lead over Taiwan’s Kai Jen Tsai (74), and Indonesian Tirto Tamardi (73), in the boys’ Under-16.