Mark, Dottie cap claim to fame

MANILA, Philippines - Calatagan’s Mark Fernando finally earned his long recognition while Dottie Ardina made the most of her vacation as they split top honors in the Philippine Amateur Golf Championships presented by Samsung at the Eastridge Golf Club in Binangonan, Rizal yesterday.

Fernando cut Korean Jeung Hun Wang down to size with a 5&4 romp to capture the men’s crown, overcoming an opening-hole bogey with three straight birdies from No. 3 which he used as a springboard to record his biggest triumph in a career highlighted with three stints with the national team.

“Despite my bogey on No. 1, I had a good start and that early three-birdie string really fired me up,” said Fernando in Filipino, who used a near-impeccable short game to foil the Korean’s bid.

The 27-year-old shotmaker, who had toiled in the shadows of his more illustrious Calatagan teammate Jhonnel Ababa for years, went 2-up after 18 holes then took two more holes in their second trip at the frontside to go 4-up with nine holes to play in their marathon 36-hole duel.

Fernando, whose previous big wins were two leg titles on the Samsung Am Tour, won another hole on No. 11 but yielded it back on the next when he flubbed a four-footer for par. However, he came through with a chip-in birdie on the next then matched Wang’s par on No. 15 to clinch the victory.

“I was so confident of my chances because I’ve been hitting it well and making some good putts,” said Fernando, who also flashed staying power and mental toughness through the grueling week-long championship that included a 36-hole stroke play elims and a couple of rain-suspended rounds.

Ardina, on a break from a US golf scholarship from ICTSI, stamped her class early over Crystal Superal, going 8-up after 27 before cruising to a 6&5 triumph for her first local crown in years.

Superal, who upended low medalist Ma. Andrea Unson, 2&1, in the semis, tried to hang on by winning back-to-back holes from No. 29 but Ardina, who finished joint second in the RP Ladies Open topped by Louise Manalo early this year, also matched the Orchard bet’s par on the 31st hole to complete the rout on a surprisingly sunny day.

Earlier, Richie Garcia of Manila outlasted Cangolf’s Rolly Viray on the third playoff hole, scoring a 1-up victory to claim the seniors crown in the event sponsored by Samsung and conducted by the National Golf Association of the Phils. and Professional Sports Management Group.

NGAP president and DOTC Secretary Leandro Mendoza and tournament chairman Pablo Soon later expressed their gratitude to the management of Eastridge Golf Club for hosting the annual tournament which drew a banner field of 136 players.

Chihiro Ikeda of ICTSI took third place honors in the ladies side as she defeated Orchard’s Ma. Andrea Unson, 2&1, while King Stehmeier of Alabang outplayed local bet Dino Villanueva, 5&3, to finish third in the men’s division of the event backed by Thunderbird Resorts, Wow Magic Sing, Mizuno, A Round of Golf, the Philippine Sports Commision, Inquirer Golf Monthly and hole-in-one sponsors Club Car, International Armoring Inc., Custom Clubmaker, Crestlink, ABW, Gargol and CranUTI.

Fernando’s victory also gave him an automatic berth in the six-man national pool from where the four members of the RP team seeing action in the Putra and Nomura Cups will be selected.

There will actually be two sets of 72-hole qualifiers for the top 15 finishers in the 36-hole stroke play of the RP Amateurs with the top five joining Fernando in the final elims – another 144-hole event with the top four making up the RP squad competing in the Nomura Cup on Sept. 15-18 in South Korea and in the Putra Cup on Nov. 17-20 in Thailand.