Heidi coasts to easy victory in ladies Open

After leaving the field just vying for second place with her career-best effort a day earlier, Heidi Chua’s worst score in three rounds of two-over-par 74 still made her the runaway winner of the inaugural Manila Ladies Open yesterday.

Chua, showing why she’s the reigning national champion, was on a relaxed mode all day, even padding her lead to as high as nine after the front nine before settling for a six-point margin over world amateur teammate Aileen Yao.

Her long training abroad paying off anew, Chua amassed 165 points under the Molave system of scoring or three-under-par for 54 holes at the west course of the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club which she calls home.

Yao, the 2000 national titlist, herself left the rest hoping for third place with a performance worth a runner-up finish, finishing five strokes ahead of first day leader Lora Roberto with her 159 total.

Roberto wound up at 154, one ahead of Carmelette Villaroman with jungolf star Jayvie Agojo placing fifth at 152.

Rounding out the standings were Tracy Locsin (151), Divina Delasin (149), Ia Bakunawa (146), Lucy Landicho (142), Matet Salivio (135), Stephanie Yu (133) and Remijin Camping (128).

Division winners of the tourney staged by the Manila Ladies Golf Foundation, Inc. to raise funds for the special cause of fighting women and children abuse and other charitable concerns were Ersa Arriola in Class A, Medy Agustin in Class B and Rosalind Wee in Class C.

The two-day Ilang-Ilang division was won by Pam Methynayondo by just two points over Len Cabili.