Ikeda outduels Ardina, up by 3

MANILA, Philippines - Chihiro Ikeda dished out fine form and outshot ICTSI teammates Dottie Ardina and former champion Anya Tanpinco, scoring 55 Molave points and taking a three-point lead at the start of the Southern Ladies golf tournament at the Iloilo Golf and Country Club, in Sta. Barbara, Iloilo yesterday.

Ikeda, chasing her first championship in the new season after racking up eight victories here and abroad last year, including the SEA Games gold medal, went two-under after eight holes with birdies on Nos. 4 and 8 inside six feet but fumbled with a three-putt bogey on No. 10 to settle for a 34-37 round, one-under par in stroke play worth 55 Molave points.

Ardina, also seeking her first title in the year after two failed bids in the RP Ladies Open and The Country Club Invitational, faltered with bogeys on Nos. 1, 5 and 9 and needed to ram in a birdie-putt from six feet on the 17th to salvage a 39-35 card worth 52 points.

Tanpinco, the former two-time national champion, also turned in 52 points, highlighted by a chip-in birdie on No. 11. She also birdied No. 5 from 15 feet but failed to rescue pars in four times that she went out of regulation on Nos. 3, 8, 13 and 15.

The ICTSI bets dominated the first round action of the centerpiece Championship division of the 54-hole tournament organized and conducted by the National Golf Association of the Phils. with Sun Choi carding 48 points for fourth, Daniella Uy shooting 47 points, Sheryl Villacencio carding 46, the same score put in by Del Monte’s Lovelyn Guioguio, runner-up in the recent RP Ladies Open won by Cyna Rodriguez.

Andie Unson scored a 45, Cangolf’s Lucy Landicho had a 44 while Bacolod’s Cara Golez made 43 points. Sarah Ababa had 41 points followed by Del Monte’s Eva Miñoza (38) and Jo Barredo of Villamor (31).

Meanwhile, Sol Antonio of Villamor and Carmen Griño of Iloilo shot identical 39 points under the Stableford scoring system to share the lead in the seniors division of the tournament sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission, WWWExpress-DHL Worldwide Express, Hans Brumann Jeweler, DPC Yellow Pages, Karat World and Sarabia Manor Hotel. Mencie Millonado of Wack Wack stood in third with 37 points.

In the four-to-play, three-to-count, team competition, the ICTSI II squad of Tanpinco, Ardina, Uy and Villacencio pooled 113 Stableford points to post a five-point lead over the ICTSI I team of Ikeda, Ababa, Unson and Choi (108) while Iloilo III, composed of Nitz Goto, Choi Me Ae, Hwang Hye Young and Leny Licera, combined for 107 for third.