KUALA LUMPUR, May 28 — The Philippines’ rising star Pauline Del Rosario took advantage of a late collapse by local hope Nur Durriyah Damian to claim a convincing three-shot victory at the 33rd Malaysian Ladies Amateur Open (MLAO) held at the Templer Park Country Club in Rawang today.

The Malaysia Ladies Golf Association (MALGA), in a statement, noted that Nur Durriyah tumbled out of a tie for the lead with a triple-bogey at the par-five 15th hole as Pauline clung on resolutely to close with a battling 73 score.

Pauline settled for an even-par 216 to finish ahead of New Zealand’s Julianne Del Puerto Alvarez, who fired a final round best of one-under 71, while Nur Durriyah finished in third position with 220 score.

“It was a tough contest out there today and I’m just delighted to have done enough to win the championship by a pretty good margin.

“My putting has been average all week and I really felt the pressure on the back nine when Nur Durriyah began to make her move. But I kept to my conservative game plan and made a couple of clutch par saves to bring it home,” said the 16-year-old from Manila.

Nur Durriyah, who equalled her finish last year, nonetheless claimed a minor consolation for the hosts when she and fellow SEA Games-bound teammate Genevieve Ling I-Rynn emerged victorious in the team event.

“It was a bitter twist after having played valiantly to bring myself back into contention. I tried to recover after that (triple bogey) but it stuck out like a sore point and I lost focus after that. I can be proud of the way I played but in the end, it proved a very costly mistake,” said the 20-year-old.

Final scores: (Malaysian unless stated)

216 - Pauline Del Rosario (PHI) 73-70-73;

219 - Julianne Del Puerto Alvarez (NZL) 75-73-71;

220 - Nur Durriyah Damian 70-75-75;

225 - Michelle Cheung (HKG) 74-77-74;

226 - Inez Beatrice Wanamarta (INA) 76-77-73;

227 - Mun Chin Keh (NZL) 75-76-76;

228 - Amanda Tan (SIN) 76-73-79;

229 - Koh Sock Hwee (SIN) 80-75-74, Ashley Lau Wen Jen 76-76-77, Genevieve Ling I-Rynn 74-77-78.

— Bernama