Harmie Constantino heralded her return to form in style, firing an eagle-spiked six-under 66 to seize a two-stroke lead over Mafy Singson after 18 holes of the ICTSI Caliraya Springs Championship in Cavinti on Tuesday.
The strong opening round marked a significant turnaround for Constantino, whose recent campaigns had been hampered by underwhelming finishes, while also signaling her determination to reclaim her place atop the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.
A blistering backside 31 at Caliraya Springs Golf Club, highlighted by a three-birdie closing stretch, fueled Constantino’s charge for redemption. An eagle on No. 4 and a birdie on No. 6 more than offset her two bogeys on the front side, propelling her to the top of the leaderboard.
“I hit the ball really well and played smart, hitting it to the right spots. I just happened to catch my 3-wood perfectly, setting up a 10-footer for eagle at the par-5 No. 4,” she said of her round, which began with back-to-back birdies from No. 10.
Although she dropped a shot on No. 13, Constantino quickly regained momentum, birdieing four of the next five holes, including three straight to close out her back nine. A bogey on the first threatened to slow her down, but she answered immediately with an eagle and another birdie. She had a chance to extend her lead further, but a costly mistake on No. 8 left her with a 35-31 card under the lift, clean and place rule.
The performance was a much-needed resurgence for Constantino after a difficult 2025 season. After dominating the 2024 campaign with four victories en route to the Order of Merit crown, a string of disappointing finishes had stalled her momentum.
Still, a tied-for-fourth finish at the Lakewood Championship last March provided a spark as she continued her push to regain top form.
“I need to stick to my game plan and keep things simple: hit the fairways, hit the greens, and make the putts,” said Constantino, who moved 36 holes away from capturing another LPGT title.
But lurking just behind is the equally determined Singson, who highlighted an otherwise steady round with four consecutive birdies starting on No. 4.
Despite carding a bogey-free round, Singson missed several birdie opportunities and settled for pars over her final 11 holes.
“I hit all the greens from No. 4 and made my putts from inside 15 feet,” said Singson of the birdie streak that kept her firmly in contention in the P1 million championship. Despite struggling with the pace of the greens, she managed to recover each time she missed a chance.
“The greens are tough because they’re playing slowly, so I just aimed to hit them and hoped my putts would drop,” she added.
Florence Bisera, coming off a victory at the Lakewood Championship via a three-player playoff, carded a 70 to take solo third, while Seoyun Kim birdied two of her last nine holes to salvage a 71 for solo fourth.
Tiffany Lee appeared headed for a strong round after collecting three birdies from No. 2 and another on No. 6 to reach four-under. However, a double bogey on No. 8 derailed her charge, and she settled for a 72 after adding one birdie and one bogey on the back nine, dropping into a tie for fifth with Kayla Nocum and Gretchen Villacencio.
Monica Mandario also rallied late with three straight birdies from No. 15 to rescue a 73, while reigning Order of Merit champion Sarah Ababa — who lost to Princess Superal in sudden death at this event last year — shot a 74 to tie for ninth with Angela Mangana.
