Debbie struggles but stays in hunt

The Philippines’ Debbie de Villa birdied the par-5 18th to salvage a six-over par 77, a stroke outside the cutoff line for the 36-hole stroke play qualifying phase of the 2006 US Women’s Amateur at the Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club’s Witch Hollow Course in North Plains, Oregon Monday (Tuesday in Manila).

It was not the kind of position De Villa would want to be after 18 holes, especially after holding her own against the best of the best with a one-over card after 11 holes that put her among the top 15 players in a field of 156.

But she failed to sustain that pace when she opted to play aggressive instead of maintaining her conservative kind of game on the long par-71, 6,380-yard layout course made more daunting by the thick roughs and sleek putting surface.

"I need to play smarter because I made mistakes which I shouldn’t have," said the petite De Villa, referring to he r 8-iron tee-shot on the par-3 No. 12 that found the water and a poor 5-iron punch shot from the thick rough that went just 10 yards for a pair of double bogeys.

Counting her bogeys on Nos. 13 and 17, De Villa’s closing birdie from 6 feet indeed checked her skid, and at least, put her back in the hunt for one of the berths in the last 64. She had 37-40.

That was eight shots off the troika of Americans Margaret Shirley and Paige Mackenzie and Korean Mi Jung Hur, who turned in identical 69s to pace the field after the first round of the 36-hole elims wherein the top 64 will advance to the next round where play shifts from stroke to matchplay. Thirteen players share the 63rd position with 76s.

"I’ll give it all tomorrow (today) and I promise to play smarter," said De Villa, one of the pool of players under the ICTSI golf program.

"She’s just a stroke outside the top 64, so she really needs a good round to make it to the matchplay round," said national team coach Bong Lopez.

That appeared to be well within reach in the early going when De Villa, the reigning RP Ladies Open champion whose stint here is sponsored by ICTSI, shrugged off a jittery double-bogey start with a birdie on No. 6 and a slew of pars after 11 holes.

Competing in a tournament of this magnitude for the first time, De Villa three-putted from four feet for a double bogey but kept her focus to par the next five holes before holing out a four-foot birdie putt on No. 6.

She was just one-over going to No. 12 when she mishit her 8-iron tee-shot that went into the hazard guarding the left side of the green. She missed the fairway on the next for bogey on the 13th and dropped two strokes on No. 14 after her second shot from rough just went 10 yards before missing a bogey putt from 10 feet.

She had good looks at birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 but flubbed them and then missed the green on No. 17 and muffed a 5-foot putt for par.