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)

ICTSI bets near Karambunai Am sweep

Dabawenya Chihiro Ikeda made two three-putts and wavered with a 73 after a 69 but wrested
a two-shot lead instead as erstwhile co-leader Dottie Ardina hobbled with a 75
in the second round of the 10th Karambunai Amateur Open 2010 at the Nexus Golf
Club and Resort in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia Saturday.
Dante Becierra also limped home with a 76 after a 74 but padded his overnight
one-shot lead over teammate Peter Villaber to two as the ICTSI-backed bets
threatened to sweep the 54-hole tournament like what their younger teammates did
in the Malaysian Junior Open last week.
Ikeda actually played solid off the mound and came up with superb iron shots,
hitting 15 greens in regulation. But she struggled on the unpredictable putting
surface of the par-72 layout and three-putted twice on Nos. 5 and 9 while
failing to save par on a missed-green mishap on No. 7.
But Ikeda, gearing up for the Santi Cup next week, rebounded with back-to-back
birdies from No. 15 for a 142 aggregate as she pounced on Ardina’s three-over
card to move within 18 holes from duplicating her victory here in 2008.
Ardina, who matched Ikeda’s opening 69, dropped to 144 while Malaysian Diana Tam
moved up to third with a 148 after shooting the day’s best score of 72.
Jayvie Agojo also bounced back with a 73 after a 76 but stood seven shots off
the pace at 149 followed by Lovelynn Guioguio (74-150), Sarah Ababa (76-151) and
local bet Celeste Lo (77-153).
Becierra, the former Hong Kong Open champion, made four birdies but had too many
bogeys and a double-bogey but his 76 and a 150 proved enough to put him two
strokes ahead of Villaber, who had a 152 after a 77.
Youthful Alexes Nallos caught up Villaber in third with a 152 after a 76 while
Malaysian Lam Yu Shuen shot a 78 for a 153 and Peter Tan, another local bet,
stood at 154 after a second straight 77.(pr)