The Philippines’ Pauline del Rosario and Mikha Fortuna flashed top form to dominate their respective sectional qualifiers and gain berths in this year’s US Girls’ Juniors Finals, the tournament won by their compatriot Princess Superal in a playoff last year.
Del Rosario, already the winner of the recent Malaysian Amateur Open, fired a 4-under 68 to top the Pinehurst No. 9 eliminations in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
The top ICTSI-The Country Club campaigner gunned down six birdies, including three straight from No. 9, to cushion a pair of late bogeys on Nos. 16 and 18.
Del Rosario also took low-medal honors.
Over in Las Vegas, Fortuna, also an ICTSI-TCC mainstay, carded an even-par 71 at the long Las Vegas National Golf Club to likewise tow the field in her side of the eliminations.
Fortuna gained confidence after scrambling for pars in the first three holes as she came through with birdies on Nos. 5 and 8. She later bogeyed Nos. 9 and 14.
But while Del Rosario and Fortuna advanced, teammate Bernice Ilas-Olivarez limped home with an 80 in the Las Vegas eliminations.
The US Girls’ Juniors will be played on July 20 to 25 at Tulsa Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Superal, winner of several local and international titles, including two professional championships back home, nipped Mexican Marijosse Navarro on the 37th hole last year to bag the crown and became the first Philippine-born player to win a USGA event.