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Clariss Guce of the Philippines plays her shot from the 15th tee during the final round of the Portland Classic at Columbia Edgewater Country Club on August 04, 2024 in Portland, Oregon.
Alika Jenner / Getty Images / AFP
MANILA, Philippines — Clariss Guce delivered an impressive five-under-par 66 to stay within striking distance of former LPGA Tour winner Sophia Popov at the start of the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic on Thursday (Friday Manila time) at the TPC Scottsdale’s Champions course.
A two-time Epson Tour winner, Guce came out firing with three birdies on the front nine and kept her momentum going after the turn. Despite two bogeys, she countered with four more birdies — including clutch back-to-back conversions to close out her round — earning a share of sixth place alongside Maddie Szeryk, Carla Mulet, Valery Plata, Georgia Oboh and LPGA legend Cristie Kerr.
Popov surged to the top with a flawless eight-under 64, highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 No. 8 on her way home. She took a one-shot lead over Sophia Schubert, Liqi Zeng, Hailee Cooper and Melanie Green, who each fired 65s under near-ideal scoring conditions in the $400,000 Epson Tour event.
Sam Bruce, the recent winner of the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour's season-opener at Pradera Verde, also positioned herself well. She birdied two par-5s on the front nine and added another on No. 10 en route to a solid three-under 68, tying 13 others for 14th place — just four strokes behind the leader with three rounds remaining.
Meanwhile, Pauline del Rosario, Dottie Ardina and Tomi Arejola face an uphill climb after posting identical 72s. They’ll need strong second-round performances to make the cut for the weekend rounds.
Del Rosario, supported by ICTSI, faltered early with bogeys on Nos. 12 and 14. Though she rebounded slightly with a birdie on No. 15 and another on the par-5 18th, she missed several birdie chances coming in, finishing with two even-par 36s for a share of 67th in a 132-player field.
Ardina posted three birdies against four bogeys in a volatile round, while Arejola had a similar showing, mixing two birdies, including one on the 18th, with three dropped shots.
