Chase on for Phl Ladies Open crown, Davao's Ikeda in great form

ARDINA

IKEDA

YUPAPORN

Premium will be on shot making and putting as the battle for this year’s
Philippine Ladies Open Amateur Golf Championship crown begins Wednesday,
Jan. 12, at The Country Club in Laguna featuring an 82-woman strong
international field.
It will be an early clash of the fancied bets as Dottie Ardina slugs it out with
reigning Malaysia Amateur champion Diana Tham and Thai ace Juruporn Ayutthaya in
one of the featured flights in the 54-hole tournament that lured one of the
strongest casts in years.
Ardina, eager to nail down the crown missing in her wide collection of local and
international trophies, hopes to come up with a strong start against Tham and
Ayutthaya, two of a slew of foreign bets tipped to contend for this year’s crown
in the country’s premier ladies golfing championship sponsored by San Miguel
Corp., Bingo Bonanza, Pacsports-Nike Golf and the Philippine Sports Commission.
There are also former champions Chihiro Ikeda and Jayvie Agojo, last week’s
Philippine International Junior Golf Championship winner Andie Unson, veteran
campaigner Lovelynn Guioguio and defending champion Cyna Rodriguez, who make up
the core of the ICTSI golf squad vying in the tournament organized by the
Women’s Golf Association of the Phils.
“Chihiro is showing great form and is raring to go coming off the holiday break
while Jayvie is hungry for a title, Andie is oozing with confidence following
her victory at Greenfield and Lovelynn is also due for a win,” said ICTSI mentor
Nestor Mendoza.
But they will be pitted against a talent-laden international field, headed by
Thais Yupaporn Kawinpakorn, Dolnapa Phudthipinji, Jittakarn chandraviroj and
Ayutthaya, and a host of scratch players from Malaysia, Taiwan, China, Japan and
South Korea, making the race for this year’s championship at the wind-raked
layout wide open.
“It’s anybody’s race on a course as tough as TCC. The greens are fast but who
can best control the ball flight will win,” said ICTSI head coach Bong Lopez,
whose wards hope to flash their familiarity with the course they call home.
Ikeda is ranged against Indonesia’s top player Ines Chandra Putri and Del
Monte’s Apple Fudolin right after the 8:20 a.m. flight of the Ardina group while
Rodriguez, hard pressed to duplicate her seven-stroke romp over Guioguio at
Southwoods last year, is paired with Kristine Leonen, also of Del Monte, and
Phudthipinji in the 8:40 a.m. flight.
Focus will also be on reigning national champion Irina Gabasa, the small but
solid-hitting shotmaker from Alta Vista who drew Korean Sun Yun Park and Aretha
Pan of Malaysia in the 8:50 a.m. group.
Meanwhile, the event, backed by Bug Busters, RCBC, Absolute, HSBC, Baileys,
Inquirer Golf, Chemical Applicators and Co., Inc., De Capricho Jewelers, Gov.
Jay Jay C. Suarez of Quezon Province, MJ Carr Golf Management, Inc., Air 21,
Jungolf Phils., EEI, The Mills Country Club, Burger King, Omnisource, was
launched in simple rites yesterday with WGAP president Rio Co welcoming the
participants.
Other WGAP officials are Marilen Bantug, Adele Olives, Theresa Staub, Marissa
Romano, Lydia Reyes, Colo Ventosa, Lorna Tabuena, Farah Imperial and Remy
Romero-Salas.
Also in the fold are the leading players of the various golf clubs in the
country, including those from Sta. Elena, Eagle Ridge, Soutwoods, Valley Golf,
Orchard, Riviera, Tagaytay Highlands, Alta Vista, Forest Hills, Pueblo de Oro,
Cangolf, Del Monte, Navy and Southwoods.(pr)