Princess Superal made her move in the final round, shooting a four-under-par 68 but was not enough to topple eventual winner Arpichaya Yubol in the eighth SAT-TWT Open Road to World Ranking tournament at the Rayong Green Valley Country Club course in Thaiiland Thursday.
Superal finished the 54-hole tournament on 5-under 211, four shots behind Arpichaya who matched the Filipina’s closing round.
It marked the third time Superal came up short of pulling off her first win in Thailand.
“I’m very happy with how well I played despite no tournaments for three weeks,” said Superal whose next outing will be at Anvaya Cove, the final stage of the Ladies Professional Golf Tour back home.
Starting the day four shots off the pace, she cut the deficit to two after birdies on 1 and 5 but a bogey on 6 broke her momentum.
She birdied 7 to move within two of the Thai, but Arpichaya responded with birdies on 8 and 11. She closed with birdies on 12 and 16.
Superal posted 73-70 in the first two rounds to climb into a share of ninth going into the final 18 holes.
The Filipina had missed a couple of title chances in the Thailand LPGA Tour, including a playoff setback to Aunchisa Utama in the fourth Thai LPGA Championship in Nakhon Nayok last May, but has gained respect and adulation when she humbled a stellar field in the Asia Pacific Cup.
The ICTSI-backed ace beat a slew of Thai aces — and three LPGA major champions — on her way to ruling the inaugural Asia Pacific Cup in Jakarta last month.
She is using her stint in Thailand to prepare for the final qualifying stage in the LPGA of Japan Tour in Ibaraki in November.
