CABANATUAN CITY — Yvon Bisera sustained her blistering form on the ICTSI Lakewood Championship, firing a second straight 69 to seize a three-shot lead over Lois Kaye Go after 36 holes here on Wednesday, March 25.
Displaying a complete game – distance, control and touch under another sweltering sky – Bisera birdied all but one of the Lakewood Golf and Country Club course’s long holes over two rounds, underscoring a dominant blend of firepower and finesse that has left her closest pursuers scrambling to keep up.
With a six-under 138 aggregate, Bisera heads into the final round of the P1.2 million championship brimming with confidence. Her three-shot cushion, combined with her current form and the course’s generous fairways and receptive greens, positions her strongly for a wire-to-wire victory.
She could have stretched her lead further if not for a string of missed birdie looks early in her round, but her steady scrambling kept the momentum intact.
“Sa front nine marami birdie chances sa par-4s pero di pumapasok. Pero sa backnine, may 5 save pars ako galing sa labas ng green,” said Bisera, who repeatedly set herself up with makeable opportunities, particularly on the par-5s at Nos. 4, 8 and 14.
After opening with a 73, Go rebounded with a tournament-best 68, overcoming a shaky start with a five-birdie surge to climb to 141, three shots behind Bisera and firmly in contention for the top P146,400 purse of the 54-hole kickoff leg of the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.
Sarah Ababa, who threatened to stay within striking distance with a five-birdie, one-bogey run through 13 holes, faltered with a costly double bogey on the par-5 14th and another bogey on 17. She settled for a 71 and a 142 total, slipping to solo third.
Bisera welcomes the head-to-head battle with Go, recalling their previous final-round pairing.
Martina Miñoza carded a second straight 72 for fourth at 144, defending champion Tiffany Lee showed flashes of a rally but couldn’t sustain it, carding a 72 for a 145 total, seven shots off the lead.
Harmie Constantino recovered from an early stumble with three straight birdies but closed with back-to-back bogeys to finish with a 73 and share fifth with Lee. Velinda Castil surged with a 69 to tie Daniella Uy at seventh with 146, while Kayla Nocum faltered with a 74 for a 147 and Mafy Singson pooled a 148 after a 74 in a tie with Seoyun Kim, who limped with a 76 after a 72.
But all eyes remain on Bisera, whose red-hot ball-striking and clinical dismantling of the par-5s have put her within 18 holes of opening the new season of the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. in emphatic, wire-to-wire fashion.
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