RP youngsters begin World Am bid

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — It will be an early test of will, power and putting as Junior World champions Dottie Ardina and Cyna Rodriguez along with reigning RP Ladies Open titlist Debbie de Villa open the Philippines’ bid against Colombia and Germany in the World Amateur Golf Team Championships which fires off Wednesday with the Espirito Santo Trophy at the De Zalze Golf Club in Stellenbosch here.

Ardina, at 12 the youngest spearhead of the national team in this biennial event featuring the world’s finest amateurs, takes on Eileen Vargas of Colombia and Sandra Gal of Germany in the 10:23 a.m. flight, hoping to overcome the pressure of playing against a field way ahead in years and experience and over a hilly par-72 course that plays longer than its 6,600 yardage.

The 14-year-old Rodriguez, who with Ardina romped away with the Junior World crowns in their respective age divisions in San Diego last July, is pitted against Colombian Maria Uribe and German Caroline Masson in the 10:34 a.m. group while De Villa, 16, anchors the RP team’s opening day campaign against Carolina Llano of Colombia and Katharina Schallenberg of Germany in the 10:45 a.m. flight.

The youthful squad, all first timers here, had played three practice rounds, including at the adjacent Stellenbosch Golf Club, the other venue of the event, upon arriving in this city set on a peninsula of soaring rocky heights Saturday after a grueling 26-hour flight from Manila.

"Both courses are difficult but the girls are okay although they had to adjust to using longer clubs on their second shots. But if their putting clicks, I’m confident they will be in contention," said national team coach Bong Lopez.

Expect Sweden to lead the chase for the championship as Sofie Andersson returns to banner the team’s title-retention bid along with Anna Nordqvist and Caroline Westrup while the United States, runner-up in 2004 in Puerto Rico on a team built around Paula Creamer, now an LPGA fixture, is fielding in an entirely new team.

"Everybody is here, all the golf powers including Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Spain. But the girls, although excited for being first-timers, are ready," said Lopez.

They should be what with an eight-month training, including stints in various tournaments abroad, under the ICTSI golf program which Lopez also heads along with coaches Nestor Mendoza, Chris Guerrero and Asian Tour campaigner Tony Lascuna.

The RP ladies, whose stint here is sanctioned by the National Golf Association of the Phils., are grouped with Guatemala and Italy players in the second round Thursday, to be played at the Stellenbosch Golf Club with the seasonal south-easterly winds predicted to blow hard for the first two days.

Ardina is coming into the event oozing with confidence after a run of six victories abroad this year, including the Hong Kong Open early this month, while Rodriguez, playing out of Ecole de Mont Michel, also won the 2006 Asean Junior Open diadem. De Villa, a junior at the School of Tomorrow, finished runner-up in this year’s Malaysian Ladies Amateur Open.

The Philippines, behind Jayvie Agojo, Lora Roberto and Anya Tanpinco, placed joint 18th in Puerto Rico with Agojo finishing in joint 12th in the individual competition won by Paraguay’s Julieta Granada.

Meanwhile, the RP men’s squad of Marvin Dumandan, Jay Bayron and Michael Bibat will leave Manila Thursday. The Eisenhower Cup will be played Oct. 26-29 where Dumandan and company will try to improve the country’s joint 23rd finish in the rain-shortened 2004 edition of the event.