Bisera, Avaricio settle for mid-pack finishes as Thais sustain run

MANILA, Philippines — Yvon Bisera fought back with a strong frontside finish to salvage a 73 and join Chanelle Avaricio and five others in a tie for 30th at the Tianjin Women’s Open at Songjiang Tuanbo Lake Golf Club on Saturday.

However, unlike last week’s Chongqing Women’s Open – where Thailand’s Natthakritta Vongtaveelap and Siri Patchana finished 1-2 – this week saw Kultida Pramphun emerge as the surprise winner as Pimnipa Panthong crumbled at the finish, extending Thailand’s dominant start in the China LPGA Tour season.

Bisera rebounded from a shaky backside 37 with back-to-back birdies starting at No. 3. She could have finished higher if not for costly miscues on Nos. 5 and 9. Her one-over round gave her a 54-hole total of 223, enough for a share of 30th after missing the cut last week.

Avaricio, meanwhile, was unable to recover from a second-round stumble, closing with a 76. After an impressive opening 70, she faltered with a 77 in the second round and struggled again on Saturday. She managed a steady backside 37 but faltered on the front with a 39.

She birdied No. 2 to reach even par but bogeyed the par-5 third and dropped two more shots on the par-3 fourth. A run of five straight pars offered brief stability before another bogey marred her closing stretch.

Daniella Uy also stumbled in the final round, carding a 77 after a second-round 73 to fall to a tie for 42nd at 225, in another underwhelming showing for the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour standouts.

Earlier, Mafy Singson, who was the top Filipina finisher in Chongqing at joint 26th, missed the cut.

Bisera and Avaricio will look to bounce back in next week’s China Golf Women’s Open at Poly Chengdu Golf Club in Sichuan.

Meanwhile, Vongtaveelap appeared poised for back-to-back victories after leading in the second round, but a disastrous start – double bogey and bogey in the first two holes – derailed her campaign. She struggled the rest of the way, finishing with a 77 and dropping to a tie for seventh at 215.

Pramphun and Panthong capitalized to sustain Thailand’s dominance. Pramphun fired her second 68 in three days to seize a narrow one-stroke victory at 210.

Panthong, who led heading into the final hole, faltered under pressure with a triple-bogey 7, allowing Pramphun to snatch the title. She settled for a 72 and a 211 total.

Taiwan’s Ching Huang carded a second straight 70 to finish tied for third with two local players at 212.

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