Choi nails first title in Jakarta

MANILA, Philippines - Sun Choi bucked a four-stroke penalty to close out with an 86 then nipped local bet Hashila Rival in the countback to capture the Medco Indonesia Junior Golf Open Class C crown at the Jagorawi Golf Club in Jakarta, Indonesia over the weekend.

The 11-year-old Choi pooled a 249 total in the 54-hole championship, pouncing on Rival’s poor form in the last two rounds and overcoming a pair of blunders to nail her first victory since she joined the ICTSI golf team headed by Bong Lopez last January.

She opened with an 84 and trailed Rival by five then closed to within two with a second round 79. She grabbed the lead after nine holes in the final round but took a two-stroke penalty on No. 12 after failing to put the ball back on its original position on the green after it accidentally moved on her address.

The Davao-based Choi, whose father is a pro golfer at the Apo Golf Club’s driving range, was again penalized by two strokes on No. 17 for hitting a wrong ball.

Still, Choi kept her composure and closed out with a bogey then edged Rival, who limped home with an 88, for the crown in their division.

Ida Ayu Putri made a 90 and finished third with a 255 while Kintan Rais and Maya Henssen took the next two spots with 91-280 and 103-318, respectively.

Over in Japan, Chihiro Ikeda hardly recovered from a disastrous 85 in the third round as she closed out with a 76 and finished in 58th place in the Suntory Ladies Open golf tournament at the Rokko Kokusai Golf Club in Hyogo yesterday.