Ikeda advances to New Zealand matchplay final

MANILA, Philippines - Chihiro Ikeda took out another pair of New Zealand rivals yesterday and took a step closer to achieving a dream stint in the New Zealand Women’s Match Play Championship, thwarting Rebekah Brownlee, 2 and 1, in the quarterfinals and then nipping fourth seed Lydia Ko, 1-up, to advance to the finals.

Ikeda eagled the par-5 18th hole from 20 feet to nip Ko in a closely fought duel on a windy afternoon at the Hastings Golf Club in New Zealand, capping another successful day for the sturdy Fil-Japanese shotmaker who held off the eighth-seeded Brownlee in their early morning quarterfinal showdown.

She went 1-up early against Ko in their afternoon duel but just couldn’t sustain her pace, making bogeys from missed green mishaps and muffing a couple of birdie putts to enable her rival to wrest a 1-up lead after No. 5.

But Ikeda regained her bearing, rhythm and putting touch to draw level at No. 7 with a par then rammed in an eight-foot birdie putt on the eighth to go 1-up again. She went 2-up with four holes to play but blew that lead with bogeys on the next two holes.

Both players birdied the par-5 17th to head to the final hole, another par-5, at all square. Ikeda then hit a superb 3-wood shot from the rough from 223 yards to 20 feet off the cup then made the putt to dispose of Ko, who pitched from six feet for birdie.

The spearhead of the ICTSI golf squad will face second seed Cecilia Cho, who scored a 2-up win over Rica Tse in the quarters and then dominated 11th ranked Julianne Alvarez in the semis, 4 and 3, in another 36-duel for the championship that is expected to go down-to-the-wire.

“I’ve been playing well the last two days. My driving is good and my iron game and putting have been clicking,” said the 18-year-old Ikeda, chasing another international championship after nipping Thai ace Yupaporn Kawinpakorn for the individual gold in the SEA Games in Laos last December.

It was a big rebound for Ikeda, who groped for form in the 72-hole NZ Women’s Stroke Play Championship last week, where she finished at No. 16.

But the big-hearted, power-hitter redeemed herself in the knockout stage, routing local bet Emily Perry, 5 and 4, in the first round and then essaying the big upset in the tournament, a 3 and 2 victory over NZ stroke play champion and top seed Caroline Bon, also of New Zealand.