Mia Piccio kisses her trophy after ruling the Women's Trans Am Championship in Nebraska.
Mia Piccio enhanced her promising golf career by winning the 80th Women’s Trans Amateur Championship, dominating Agostina Parmigiani of Argentina in the morning match before hanging tough in the last 18 holes to fashion out a 3&2 victory at The Country Club of Lincoln in Nebraska Saturday.
The top-seeded Piccio kept the momentum of her romps in the quarters and the semis by firing six birdies in the first half of their grueling 36-hole duel to go 6-up. She hiked the lead to seven holes twice, the last when she birdied the 23rd hole then displayed grace under pressure in the last 10 holes to annex the inspiring win.
“I’m very, very happy that I finally won a big amateur title here in the US.
This means so much to me,” said the 19-year-old Bacolod native, one of the US-based scholars of the ICTSI golf squad under coach Bong Lopez.
But just when Piccio thought that she had the crown under wraps, Parmigianistruck with three straight birdies from 27th hole (No. 9) to close within three with seven holes to go. But Piccio made a superb lob shot after missing the par-3 12th, sinking a five-foot par putt that virtually clinched her the championship.
“That was the championship point for Mia,” said Lopez, referring to his ward’s brilliant save on No. 12. “Had she lost that hole, she would’ve have been just two holes up and the pressure would’ve been on her.”
But Piccio, who lost in the quarterfinals in last week’s 108th North and South Amateur Championship at Pinehurst, bucked the pressure and matched her rival’s par game in the next four holes to wrap up the championship.
"Mia played so well and made so many shots, I just had to do my best with 18 holes to play," the 22-year-old Parmigiani. "I finally made some long putts and got some confidence. But Mia played so good when it got a little close."
Piccio had just 27 putts during her first 18 holes and had no three-putt in her final 16 holes.
"I like the greens here, fast but true," said Piccio, who just finished her freshman year at the University of Florida. "I've been playing good lately and qualified for the US Amateur and played well at the North-South."
The win also avenged Dottie Ardina’s loss to Parmigiani in the quarterfinal round and boosted Piccio’s bid for a spot in the national team vying in various international competitions this year, including the Asian Games in Guangzhou.
“I’d like to thank God for this victory,” said Piccio, who also expressed her gratitude to ICTSI boss Ricky Razon for giving her, and her teammates, all the opportunities to hone their talent and skills through top-notch competitions abroad.
Piccio’s victory also came on the heels of ICTSI teammate Andie Unson’s win in the Optimist International Junior Golf Championship where the latter bagged the girls’ 14-15 crown at the PGA National Golf and Resort Club in Palm Beach, Florida last week.
Meanwhile, Sarah Ababa settled for 11th in the premier girls’ 16-18 division of the Optimist International topped by Thailand’s Sainee Thitiranakorn over the weekend.
The Dabawenya closed out with a 75 for a 231, 13 strokes behind Thitiranakor, who had a 218 after a 71.(pr)
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