Davao's Ikeda, 3 others advance; Ardina, Agojo out

Chihiro Ikeda matched par 71 and safely made it to the match play phase of the US Women's Amateur Championship at the Rhode Island Country Club in Rhode Island Monday.
Cyna Rodriguez, Andie Unson and Sarah Ababa, another Dabawenya, also advanced to the knockout stage of the premier event but Dottie Ardina and Jayvie Agojo failed to make the 64-player cut with a pair of three-over 74s.
Ikeda, the reigning Philippine Ladies Open champion and spearhead of the ICTSI-backed squad, hit two birdies against the same number of bogeys to emerge the top Filipina finisher at joint 18th with Unson with a 143.
But the reigning Thailand, Johor and Royal Selangor Open champion drew Ababa as her first round opponent in match play Wednesday.
Ababa shot a second straight 73 for a 146.
Unson, who with Rodriguez turned in similar 70s in the first round of the 36-hole stroke play elims among 156 entries, slowed down with a 73 and set up a duel with Julie Yang.
Rodriguez, on the other hand, carded a 74 and wound up joint 27th. She faces Amy Anderson in the first round of the knockout stage.
Ji Hee Kim of Korea shot a one-under 70 to win the low medal honors with a 136, nipping New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, who sizzled with a 66, in the countback.
Ardina, meanwhile, failed to recover from a first round score of 77, finishing with a 151 after a 74, for a share of 80th, while Agojo ended up joint 69th after a 74 and a 150.(PR)

Cyna, Unson card 70s; Dabawenyas struggle

Cyna Rodriguez and Andie Unson shot identical one-under 70s to trail Korean Jihee Kim by four at the start of the 36-hole stroke play qualifier of the US Women’s Amateur Championship at the Rhode Island Country Club in Rhode Island Monday.
Rodriguez, the former Philippine Ladies Open champion, hit three birdies to negate a two-bogey mishap for a 35-35 round at the par-71 layout as she joined seven others in sixth place.
That includes ICTSI teammate Unson, the reigning Philippine Amateur Open champion, who missed closing in on Kim with a shaky finish, bogeying two of the last three holes at the back for a 33-37 card.
Dabawenya Chihiro Ikeda fought back from an awful start of 39 with back-to-back birdies from No. 15 as she salvaged a one-over 72 for a share of 27th place among 156 starters chasing 64 slots in the match play phase.
Sarah Ababa, another Dabawenya, made two birdies but fumbled with four bogeys as she dropped to joint 45th at 73, still within the cutoff line heading to the final round of the elims.
But Dottie Ardina, coming off a pair of runner-up finishes in the US Girls Championships and the Optimist International, groped for form with a 77 and in danger of missing the cut as she stood way below in joint 94th.
She failed to recover from a three-bogey string from No. 1, dropping four more strokes on Nos. 7, 8, 11 and 18 against a lone birdie on No. 10.
Jayvie Agojo, another former Phl Ladies Open champion, also sputtered with a 76 for a share of 84th, her round marred by six bogeys against one birdie.
“It’s a mixed result but I’m confident Dottie and Jayvie will be able to bounce back. They struggled with their putting, missing some close par putts,” said ICTSI team coach Bong Lopez.
Kim hit eight birdies in an awesome display of shotmaking, finishing with a five-under 66 for a two-shot lead over China’s Xi Yu Lin and Mariel Galdiano of Hawaii, who both had 68s, while Doris Chen of Florida and Pamela Pretswell of Scotland made identical 68s for fourth.(pr)

Ardina, Davao's Ikeda upbeat of US Am bid

Dottie Ardina and Davao City native Chihiro Ikeda head the six-player ICTSI-Philippines roster vying in this year’s US Women’s Amateur Championship, hopeful of their chances against the world’s leading players in the event firing off Aug. 8 in Rhode Island.
The team, which also includes former Philippine Ladies Open champions Jayvie Agojo and Cyna Rodriguez, Andie Unson and Dabawenya Sarah Ababa, found the par-71 Rhode Island Country Club layout tough when it had its first practice round Saturday but remained upbeat two days before the event.
“The course has been set up like in a US Open event with thick roughs and sleek putting surface,” said ICTSI team coach Bong Lopez. “But the team is ready and in high spirits.”
The ICTSI-backed Filipinas spent the whole of Sunday at the range, hitting at varied distances.
“Driving will be the key, they must put their ball on the fairway to have any chance of reaching the green in regulation,” added Lopez.
No Filipina has ever come close to a title shot since former national team mainstay Dorothy Delasin won in 1999 at the Biltmore Forest Country Club in North Carolina with Rodriguez dropping out of the Last 16 stage in 2009.
A total of 156 players vie in the 36-hole stroke play competition with the top 64 advancing to the match play phase.
Ardina, the reigning Queen Sirikit Cup individual champion, has been seeded into the event with a runner-up finish in the recent US Girls Am. She also placed second in the Optimist International last month.
The rest earned their seats through qualifiers with Ikeda, the reigning Philippines Ladies Open champion, making it in York, Pennsylvania, Rodriguez and Agojo in Denver, Unson in California and Ababa in Hawaii.(pr)

Members of the ICTSI-Team Phl (from left) Andie Unson, Jayvie Agojo, Dottie Ardina, Cyna Rodriguez, Sarah Ababa and Chihiro Ikeda pose during a break in practice for the US Women’s Amateur Championship.