SILANG, Cavite – Thai Atthaya Thitikul hit a late birdie to cushion the impact of a faltering windup that likewise marred the games of Lois Go and Bianca Pagdanganan as she grabbed the lead with a 75 midway through the Philippine Amateur Open Golf Championships at Riviera’s Langer course here yesterday.

Korean Jang Sung Hun also fumbled with a 79 but held on to the men’s lead, just one up on Ivan Monsalve heading to the weekend play of what looms to be a wide-open battle for top honors in both sides of the country’s premier championship.

Thitikul, who lost her first round duel with Pagdanganan, 69-67, drilled in a birdie on No. 15 and came out better than her Filipina rivals in a windy, bogey-marred finish under tough conditions in one of the country’s toughest courses.

She bogeyed two of the last three holes for a 37-38 card that proved enough to net her the lead at 144 as Go blew a birdie-birdie start (33) with five bogeys in a birdie-less backside stint, including on the last two holes, and slipped to joint second with Pagdanganan at 145 after a 74.

Pagdanganan, awesome with a closing 31 at the front for a 67 Thursday, proved awful with a 42 this time. Though she birdied the first two holes at the back, the Asian Games bronze medalist also bogeyed the last two holes and ended up with a 78.

Earlier, Kim Heeji, runner-up here last year, carded a 75 for a 147 while Junia Gabasa shot the day’s best of 72 in ladies play for a 149 for fifth in the event sponsored by the MVP Sports Foundation and backed by Cignal, Metro Pacific and official hotel Summit Ridge.

Impressive with a 69 Thursday, Jang struggled all day in severe conditions, limping with three double bogeys and four bogeys with only two birdies for a 38-41 card and a 148 with 36 holes to play in the event organized and conducted by the National Golf Association of the Philippines.

Monsalve missed grabbing the clubhouse lead with a double-bogey mishap on No. 9, settling for a 74 and a 149 with Paolo Wong also churning out a 74 for a 151 in a tie with Thai Vanchai Luangnitikul (77), Japanese Atsushi Ueda (78) and Weiwei Gao (79) even as Aidric Chan hobbled with a 78 for a 152.

Gen Nagai, who turned in a 72 in the first round, skied to an 81 in a bogey-marred, birdie-less 41-40 card and fell to 153 in a tie with American Chris Yeom (76) while Korean Kim Tae Soo (79) and Singaporean Lucius Toh (83) stood at 154 followed by Carl Corpus, who bounced back from a 79 with a 76 for a 155.

The top 40 players in men’s play and the top 16 in the women’s category head to the final 36 holes of the event which drew one of the strongest casts in years.