Thai girls grab Montecillo jungolf championship lead

DASMARIÑAS, Cavite—Team Philippines II collected 149 for 296 but yielded the overall lead to surging Thailand in the girls division midway through the second Montecillo Junior Golf Championship at the wind-swept Palmer course of the Orchard Golf and Country Club. The Thai girls zoomed to the top with a 293 total after Benyapa Niphatsophon turned in a 67 and Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras signed for a 72 and 139 for the day. Andrea Unson and Miya Legaspi carded a 71 and 73 for Team PHL I's 144 for 303, to occupy third place. The Thailand boys, behind Sarit Suwannarut's 66 and Chanachok Dejpiratanamongkol's 78, collected a 144 for 290 to grab the lead from Team PHL II (Clyde Mondilla 73 and Christopher Arevalo 75), which pulled in a 148 for 294. Erstwhile leader Team PHL I of Gio Gandionco (73) and Raymart Tolentino (77) brought together a 150 for 295 while Team PHL III, of LJ Go and Carlos Packing, placed fourth with 154 for 310 in the four-day event organized by the Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines. Playing on a course where she nurtured her game, Superal struggled with her putting which resulted into five bogeys, that included two consecutive ones on Nos. 10 and 11, and Nos. 14 and 15 in the back nine, where she began Wednesday's round. Superal, 15, salvaged a birdie on the second hole, where she drained a five-footer for birdie. "I really didn't play bad today.It's just that my putting was off, unlike in the first round.The Thai's lead is not that big.There are plenty of chances to catch up," said Superal, the runner of the recent Philippine Ladies Amateur Open at the Wack Wack's East course. Sarah Jane Ababa (78) and Samantha Martirez (77) collected a 155 for 309, six behind the tandem of Unson and Legaspi. Christopher Popp and Mikha Fortuna each scored a 74 to pace the boys and girls C division, respectively. In Class D, teen wonder Carlos Philippe Palanca made a 78 (boys) and Harmie Constantino shot an even 72 (girls) at the start of their own competitions. — Adrian Flores/JVP, GMA News