Thai ace Thitikul goes ahead of Go, Pagdanganan

Atthaya Thitikul

SILANG, Cavite—Thai Atthaya Thitikul hit a late birdie to cushion the impact of a faltering windup that hindered Lois Go and Bianca Pagdanganan as she grabbed the lead with a 75 midway through the Philippine Amateur Open Golf Championships at Riviera’s Langer course here yesterday.

Korean Jang Sung-hun also fumbled with a 79 but held on to the men’s lead, just one up on Ivan Monsalve heading to the weekend play of a wide-open battle for top honors in both sides of the tournament.

Thitikul, who lost her first round duel with Pagdanganan, 69-67, drilled in a birdie on No. 15 and came out better than her Filipino rivals in a windy, bogey-marred finish with a 144 total.

Go blew a birdie-birdie start (33) with five bogeys in a birdie-less backside and slipped to joint second with Pagdanganan at 145 after a 74.

Pagdanganan also bogeyed the last two holes and ended up with a 78.