Korean Lee Jeong-Hwa mounted another comeback on Friday to claim the second ICTSI Champion Tour title at the Manila Southwoods Legends Course.

Lee fired a low-round 5-under 67 to see off overnight leader Mia Piccio of the Philippines by one shot, who carded a 69, pocketing her second US$15,000 champion check in as many weeks with a 54-hole total of 11-under par 205.

Both players are under the tutelage of Joel Altea, who is also coaching Miguel Tabuena on the men’s tour. “They’re two good players on the rise and playing great golf at the moment,” said Altea before today’s final round. Lee won her first TLPGA Tour trophy last year at the Hong Kong Ladies Open and added another just last week at the Splendido Taal Golf Club, while Piccio made her foray onto the 2015 Symetra Tour in the US and finished the year in the top 50. “Mia’s distance off the tee might give her a little more advantage but I think it will come down to putting because both are hitting well.”

The TLPGA Tour and LPGT (Ladies Philippine Golf Tour) co-sanctioned event is just the second staging of the LPGT this year and sixth tournament of the 2016 TLPGA Tour.

Leading by one starting the day, Piccio hit a penetrating 3-Wood second-shot from 250 yards to just five feet on the par-5 eighth and made an eagle to hit the turn in 33, building a four-stroke edge over Lee already.

However, just like last week, Lee’s never-say-die attitude roused her for a gusty final charge at the back, reeling of four birdies between Holes no.10 to no.15 with clutch putting display to tie Piccio. The 21-year-old went on to bury another birdie putt on the par-5 17th to pull through the victory.

Piccio fumbled her chances of winning with missed birdie putts on Holes no.11, and no.15, 16, and 17 in a row, which were all inside six feet, and made pars all the way on the back nine. Her final 206 is just one shot short. The runner-up finish earns US$7,500 in a total purse of US$75,000.

Lee needed to recover from a two-shot deficit on the back nine of the final round as well last week at the first stop of the ICTSI Champion Tour to beat Japanese Fumika Kawagishi. The ICTSI (International Container Terminal Services, Inc.) is the title sponsor of the LPGT for the fourth year.

17-year-old local amateur Samantha Martirez settled just another shot back at 207, the solo third best score this week, winning away the low-amateur prizes.

Taiwan’s Chen Yu-Ju (陳宇茹) (71), who finished last week in a tie for third, and Wu Yi-Ching (伍以晴) (69), who is just in her rookie year since last December, were the top finishers from Taiwan, sitting at a joint ninth at 3-under par 213.

“I feel great on the greens here at the Legends Course compared with last week at Splendido,” said Wu. “I felt in pretty good control of the distance.” Wu came back from a tie for sixteenth to an equal ninth with the help of four birdies and just one bogey, highlighted by a successful long birdie putt on the third hole.

“I didn’t play a good second round yesterday. But I felt I had got a close-up lesson watching my Filipino and Japanese playing partners. They were so great on the chipping, the putting, how they approached and everything, I learnt a lot from them,” said Wu. “So I kind of tried to show off what I had learnt on the final day and the result was satisfying. I’m happy with how strong I’ve finished.”

Chen also made four birdies on Friday with solid hitting with the irons but an erratic putter set her back as she suffered a four-putt double-bogey on par-3 seventh and another bogey on sixteenth.

“My irons set up lots of opportunities but my putter just couldn’t really convert those and even got me into troubles. I’ve got to find away to improve my precision around the green and especially putting.” Her best outing was at the 2015 Hong Kong Ladies Open when she finished in a tie for second.

TLPGA member Yu Pei-Lin (余珮琳) wrapped up the week at 214 and solo twelfth. Kuo Ai-Chen (郭艾榛) and Yeh Hsin-Ning (葉欣寧) finished tied for thirteenth at 215.