Dottie bows to Scot in playoff

MANILA, Philippines – Dottie Ardina rallied from four strokes down with a four-under 68 to gain a crack at the FCWT (Future Collegians World Tour) crown but fell short of her bid in sudden death, bowing to Sally Watson of Scotland in the Red Tail Golf Open at the Red Tail Golf Club in Devens, Massachusetts.

Watson birdied the first playoff hole on No. 18 to hold off the Filipina ace and capture her second title in the season after topping the Leadbetter Challenge last January. She closed out with an eagle-spike 71 to finish the 36-hole tournament with a 139.

Ardina, who carded a 71 in the first day, matched the output behind a sizzling start of four birdies in the first 10 holes for that 68 as she took the cudgels for the ICTSI-backed bets after opening day leader Chihiro Ikeda bungled a fine start with an awful finish.

But she flubbed her birdie bid from eight feet and settled for runner-up honors, her second in the five tournaments in the season, highlighted by back-to-back victories in the Eagle Creek and the Plantation Inn Opens. The 15-year-old Ardina also finished third in last week’s Mission Inn-El Campeon Open.

Ikeda, near-flawless with a 67 in the first round, had a roller-coaster round of three birdies and three bogeys and missed a spot in the playoff when she double-bogeyed the par-5 18.

She wound up with a 74 and slid to fourth with a 141 behind Karen Chung’s 71-140 card.

ICTSI teammates Sarah Ababa and Louise Manalo finished tied for fifth with 143s after a 73 and a 70, respectively, while Mia Piccio wound up seventh with a 150 after a 71.