Ikeda coasts to five-stroke win

Chihiro Ikeda closed out with a second straight 71 to cap her domination of the girls’ side of the Singapore Junior Golf Championships, winning by five strokes over ICTSI teammate Louise Manalo at the par-71 Bukit Golf Club in Singapore late Thursday.

Three-up at the start of the final round, the 17-year-old Ikeda posted as many as seven strokes after a two-under at the turn. But the reigning RP Ladies Open champion slowed down with an errant drive at the par-5 13th where she hit it into the woods, reached the green in five and flubbed a bogey putt from 12 feet.

Still, she was hardly threatened as Manalo could only close to within three but made four putts on No. 15, enabling Ikeda to cruise home to victory with a 54-hole haul of 215.

Manalo wound up with a second straight 73 and settled for the division honors (16-19) with a 220 as Ikeda took the girls’ overall championship.

Cyna Rodriguez finished with three 74s for third at 222.

It was Ikeda’s fifth crown in the season about to end, counting her victories in the DHL Open, the Sabah Amateur and Thailand Junior Open, making her one of the winningest players on the ICTSI golf stable.

Tonton Asistio fell short of his title in the boys’ 16-19 class as he blew a one-under card after nine holes and holed out with a two-over 73 for fifth with 218.

That was five shots behind local bet Johnson Poh, who matched par 71 to hold off compatriot Lam Zhi Quin for the crown. Poh finished with a 213, nipping Quin, who fired a one-under 70, by one stroke.

Art Arbole hobbled with a 76 and finished 12th at 225 while BJ Minoza, carding a 77, and Brent Sumampong, limping with an 83, wound up tied for 16th at 233.