RP ladies joint 9th in World Amateurs

MANILA, Philippines - Mia Piccio and Dottie Ardina came through with fiery windups to rally the Philippines to joint ninth with an even 144 at the start of the Espirito Santo Trophy of the World Amateur Golf Team Championships paced by a solid United States side in Argentina Wednesday.

Piccio, 19, checked an impending skid with an explosive finish, birdying three of the last eight holes for a one-under par 71 at the wind-raked Olivos Golf Club in a stirring comeback by a rookie in the national team.

Ardina, a veteran internationalist and a former Junior World champion, also fought back from a four-over card with three birdies in the last seven holes to salvage a one-over 73.

Chihiro Ikeda, the reigning SEA Games individual champion, never recovered from an awful 41 at the front, limping with a 77 and failing to count in the three-to-play, two-to-count format event among a record 52 nations.

Still, it was an impressive start by the ICTSI-backed RP team, which placed joint 19th in Australia in 2008, as it joined Ireland, Canada and Israel in ninth place although the four teams stood eight strokes behind the US, which frolicked with a record eight-under 136.

USA Curtis Cup teammates Jessica Korda and Cydney Clanton each fired a four-under 68, also at Olivos, to combine for the lowest first-round output in the history of the biennial event. The previous best was 137 posted by Canada in 2004 and Japan and Sweden in 2008.

So solid was the US team that Danielle Kang’s two-under 70, which could anchor any team in the tournament, didn’t count.

The Americans thus took a four-shot lead over host Argentina and France, which both turned in 140s while Germany, Taiwan, South Africa and Spain stood two shots behind with 142s.

Mexico is in solo eighth with a 143.

“It was indeed a big comeback by the girls. We were already way below half of the field after nine holes. But Mia and Dottie just wouldn’t give up. They showed class and a big fighting heart,” said RP and ICTSI team coach Bong Lopez.

The RP ladies, toughened up by a series of stints abroad through the ICTSI golf program, turned in a combined five-over card at the turn. But Ardina, at the forefront of the team’s charge, rammed in back-to-back birdies from No. 12 then closed out with another birdie on the par-5 18th for a 39-34 round.

Piccio, winner of this year’s Trans Am Championship in Nebraska, bucked a double-bogey mishap on No. 6 as she gunned down birdies on Nos. 11, 15 and 18 in a flawless stint at the back for a 38-33 card.

“Mia actually played consistent golf, hitting 15 greens in regulation. She’s striking the ball really well and her backside rally showed her toughness and determination to do well here,” said Lopez.

Piccio also stood in joint 11th in the individual competition, four strokes behind France’s Alexandra Bonetti, who fired the day’s best score of 67.

Unlike Piccio, the 16-year-old Ardina struggled with her driving but leaned on her superb putting to fight back. She finished with 27 putts.

Despite her poor frontside stint, Ikeda recovered in the last nine holes which she parred, hoping to get into the scoring act as they try the tougher Buenos Aires Golf Club layout in the second round Thursday.