Ardina moves up to joint 13th but falls behind by 7

MANILA, Philippines -- Dottie Ardina continued to wrestle with her putter but improved quite a lot in her long game and iron play, coming through with a two-birdie round for a 70 and a 19-spot jump to joint 13th after two rounds of play in the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout in El Dorado, Arkansas Saturday (Sunday, Manila time).

But the veteran Filipina campaigner found herself trailing new leader Karen Chung by seven after the American scorched the Mystic Creek Golf Club course with a solid 67, including a three-birdie binge from No. 3, and grabbed the lead at 135.

Chung stood two strokes clear of erstwhile co-leader Natasha Oon of Malaysia, who carded a 70 for a 137 while Kristen Gillman, also of the US, charged back with a 66 to tie Chinese Miranda Wang, who put in a 70, at 138.

Ardina, who scrambled with a four-birdie, four-bogey card in the first round of the 54-hole, $225,000 event of the Epson Tour for a share of 32nd, missed just one fairway and hit all but two greens but finished with 32 putts although he produced a couple of par-saves from the bunkers.

The ICTSI-backed shotmaker birdied No. 8 and the closing par-5 hole but flubbed a number of birdie opportunities.

Two-time Epson Tour winner Clariss Guce mixed three birdies with the same number of bogeys for a 72 and a share of 40th at 146 but Abby Arevalo failed to advance with a 156 after a 79.