Int’l field better than best of Asia

The Philippines’ Jennifer Rosales and Japanese partner Namika Omata faltered at the finish and settled for half-point as the Internationals continued their domination of Asia in the Lexus Cup golf tournament at the Tenah Merah Golf Club in Singapore yesterday.

Rosales and Omata squandered a 2-up advantage going into the last five holes and blew a 1-up edge going into the final hole in a draw with Jill McGill and Erica Blasberg in their fourballs duel on the second day of the Ryder Cup-style tourney pitting the best of Asia against the best of the rest of the world.

The Internationals won three match-ups in the day and hiked their lead to 8-4 going into the third and final day of competition today.

The first team to score 11.5 points wins the event.

The Internationals matched their four-point production on the first day with the pairs of Marisa Buena-Carin Koch, Sophie Gustafson-Suzanne Pettersen and Paula Creamer-Natalie Gulbis delivering victories.

The tandem of Annika Sorenstam and Karen Stupples was held to a draw by Meena Lee and Gloria Park in the last flight.

Baena and Koch scored a 4 and 2 win over Han Hee-won and Kim, Gustafson and Pettersen routed Aree Song and Naree Song, 4 and 3, and Creamer and Gulbis tripped Candy Kung and Jeong Jang, 3 and 2.

Grace Park and Riko Higashio provided the Asians their lone win with a 3 and 2 victory over Janice Moodie and Catriona Matthew.

Sorenstam and Creamer, the top two players on the LPGA money list, led the Internationals to their 4-2 romp Friday.

They had been two-down for most of the front nine in an alternate shot match against South Koreans Jeong Jang and Meena Lee until International captain Sorenstam made a seven-foot downhill putt to save par.

Among the other winners for the Internationals in Day One were the pairings of Pettersen-Gustafson, Stupples-Matthew, and Blasberg-Baena.