Grace Quintanilla birdied the eighth–her 17th hole–to rescue a level par 71 and stay at the top of women’s individual play of the Singapore Amateur Open championship, where Rolando Bregente cooled down with a 70 to now trail an Australian by three shots in the men’s division at the majestic Bukit course in Singapore.
Quintanilla had three of her five bogeys coming home, and the last of her five birdies came on the par-3 8th for a 36-35 card as she takes a 138 aggregate into third round play on Thursday, July 16, where a trio of pursuers led by Hong Kong China’s Hei Tung Leung will try to keep making up ground on the brave Filipino.
Leung had five birdies in a 68 to now be at 139, with Wirada Tawinsang of Thailand lurking another shot back after her version of the 68. Valencia Chang of the host country was the third player to shoot a 68 as she moved within six shots from starting the day nine strokes behind.
Alethea Gaccion struggled big time, accounting for an 81 as her tandem with Quintanilla slipped to 12 shots off in team play behind Leung and Xizihan Wang, who are setting the pace with an even 284 after Wang fired a second round 73.
Wang is also just seven shots behind Quintanilla individually like Amelie Ng, who struggled to a 74.
Bregente, the standout from the PAL Interclub champion Eastridge program, had just two birdies and a bogey in a lukewarm second round effort, as he now trails Max Moring by three after the red-hot Aussie gunned down 10 birdies in a 62 for 131 overall.
Jonty Lunzon, another Australian who started the second round two shots behind Bregente, carved out a 68 that was marred by a double bogey on No. 3 to be three shots behind his countryman as the squad from Down Under grabbed the team competition lead with a 19-under 265 tally, leading HK-China by nine shots.
Bregente’s partnership with Chris John Remata dropped to fourth from third overall, now 19 shots out of the pace with a level 284 aggregate after Remata contributed a second round 76. He opened with a 74 and struggled on Wednesday with a double bogey and six bogeys against just two birdies.
The second round was in stark contrast to how hot Bregente was compared to the opening 18, where the many-time PH Team member gunned down six birdies and an eagle in an opening 64 on Tuesday.
A third Australian in Harrison Gomez eased his way into the top five after a 67 for 136, with Jet Hernandez the next best Filipino in the talented field, laying tied with Gomez at six-under overall with still three holes left in his second round schedule.
