Ardina rallies with 69, outsteadies Davao's Ikeda to cop Karambunai crown

Dottie Ardina battled back from two strokes down and outsteadied ICTSI teammate
Chihiro Ikeda of Davao in a backside shootout to fire a 69 and capture the 10th
Karambunai Amateur Open 2010 by three strokes at the Nexus Golf Club and Resort
in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia Sunday.
Ardina used a near-impeccable short game to turn back Ikeda, coming up with two
superb iron shots in the last four holes for birdies, including on the 18th
that
capped her fightback from two strokes after a three-over 75 in the second
round.
She had a 34-35.
The reigning Southern Ladies champion totaled a 213, including an opening 69,
for a three-shot romp over Ikeda, who kept the lead with a 35 at the front but
reeled back with a double-bogey 6 on No. 14 where she reached the green in four.
Ikeda, winner here in 2008, wound up with a 74 and a 216 for second while
Jayvie
Agojo completed the ICTSI bets’ 1-2-3 finish with a 221 after matching par 72.
Sarah Ababa, who won the Malaysian Junior Open last week, took fourth place
with
a 223 after a 72 while Lovelynn Guioguio shot a 75 and placed fifth at 225
followed by Malaysian Diana Tham (75-226), Andie Unson (75-229) and Celeste Lo,
also of Malaysia (82-235).
The victory also primed up Ardina, together with Ikeda, for this week’s Santi
Cup, the ladies competition of the annual Putra Cup firing off tomorrow
in Kuala
Lumpur.
But the RP bets failed to complete a sweep as two-day leader Dante Becierra
cracked under pressure at the back, limping with a six-over card for a 78,
enabling Malaysian Lam Yu Shuen to snatch the win with a 226 after a 73.
Peter Villaber, who trailed Becierra in the first two days, also sputtered with
a triple bogey 6 on No. 16 with Shuen pouncing on the Filipinos’ erratic finish
to post a one-stroke victory in the men’s side.
Villaber settled for second with a 227 after a 75 while Becierra slid to third
with a 228 followed by Malaysians Peter Tan (75-229) and Lee Ka Tung (74-231),
Kenneth Kano (78-234), Alexes Nallos (82-234), Art Arbole (81-240), Paul
Echaves
(84-241) and Bino dela Paz (79-248).(pr)