Ardina bows to US bet

MANILA, Philippines - Arizona’s Taylore Karle came through with a spectacular shot on the 34th hole for birdie to seize the lead then scrambled for par on the next to finish off Dottie Ardina, 2&1, and capture the Women’s Western Golf Association’s (WWGA) 109th National Amateur Championship crown at Shawnee Country Club in Lima, Ohio Saturday.

In a match that was close throughout, Karle outsteadied the 15-year-old Ardina in the last three holes as the ICTSI-backed bet, who had an amazing run of victories on her way to the final, lost her touch and failed to birdie the par-5 16th, the 34th hole, then hit a tree branch on her approach shot on the 35th for bogey to yield the match and the title.

Karle, a teammate of Jayvie Agojo at Pepperdine U, made an unbelievable birdie on their second trip to the par-5, 16th with the match even. She hacked her drive a bit left but hit a tree which left the ball in the rough. Still, she came up with a solid shot, the ball landing on the fringe about a foot off of the green then holed out with a birdie.

Ardina, who only led after the third hole but never trailed by as many as three on No. 16, missed on her birdie try, enabling Karle to seize a 1-up lead with two holes left to play.

Karle had an up-and-down stint on the 17th, the 35th hole, after overshooting the green but Ardina failed to extend the match to the next hole, hitting a tree on her second shot and missing the green for bogey.

It was a sorry setback for the reigning national champion, who finished third in the 36-hole stroke play elims and posted a series of impressive victories in the match play phase to get a crack at the championship.

The 18-year-old Karle, a three-time AJGA Rolex All American, plans to play more amateur tournaments over the summer before returning to Pepperdine for her junior year in the fall. Ardina, a student at the IMG/David Leadbetter Golf Academy, had previously won the WWGA National Junior Championship in 2007 and was the low medalist in this tournament last year.

She vowed to come back to next year’s amateur tournament and give it another shot to have her name on the Alexander trophy that she so wanted to do this year.