Princess Mary Superal [right], and Pauline Del Rosario [left] on the 18th hole during the second round of stroke play at the 2016 US Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship. Picture by USGA/Darren Carroll

Bowling Green, Florida, United States: Pauline Del Rosario and 2014 US Girls’ Junior champion Princess Mary Superal, both of the Philippines, returned a two-day total of 12-under-par 132 and earned medallist honors in the 2016 US Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship.

Sierra Brooks, the 2015 US Women’s Amateur runner-up, and 2014 US Women’s Amateur champion Kristen Gillman, who held the lead following the first round, finished second at 10-under 134.
Being conducted on the 6,216-yard, par-72 Streamsong Blue at Streamsong Resort, the 2016 US Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship consists of 36 holes of stroke play followed by five rounds of match play. The championship is scheduled to conclude with an 18-hole final on May 25.

Del Rosario, 17, and Superal, 19, returned a bogey-free 66 to go with their opening 66. Superal punctuated their round by hitting a fairway bunker shot from 120 yards onto the green at the par-for 18th. Her ball took a lucky ricochet off fellow competitor Lesli Hopping’s ball, leaving Superal with a six-foot putt, which she converted for their sixth birdie of the round.

“Princess’ last putt was very important,” said De Rosario, an incoming freshman at the University of Kansas. “We wanted to shoot at least six-under today.”

“(Going bogey-free) was our goal today,” added Superal, who plans to turn professional this year.

Del Rosario and Superal’s 132 is the US Women’s Amateur Four-Ball record for low 36-hole score, breaking the mark of 133 by Kendall Griffin and Athena Yang in last year’s inaugural championship at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.

The top 32 of the 64 competing sides advanced to the first round of match play.