Korean pads lead by 3

TOM KIM of South Korea matched par 72 Wednesday and bloated his lead to three shots over Ryan Monsalve after 36 holes of the Philippine Amateur Junior stroke play Open championship at Sherwood Hills in Cavite.

Counting an opening 71, Kim takes a 143 aggregate into the third round today as Monsalve fired a 73 with Ira Alido matching that for 146.

Yuka Saso, meanwhile, wrested control of the girls’ division after carving out a 69 under punishing heat, leaving overnight leader Harmie Constantino three shots behind after a 74.

Saso, a Filipino-Japanese who bombed out in the Final Four of the women’s match play championship last week in Cebu, now has a 139 tally.

Constantino turned in a pair of 37s, with Mikha Fortuna, a The Country Club bet, returning a 72 to be eight shots behind.
Meanwhile, Rupert Zaragosa shot a 74 for 147 and a commanding seven-shot lead over Airon Sorino (76) in the special 18-and-above division.