Elite cast vies in Ladies Open

MANILA, Philippines - Premium will be on shot making and putting as the battle for this year’s Philippine Ladies Open Amateur Golf Championship crown begins today at The Country Club in Laguna featuring an 82-woman strong international field.

It will be an early clash of the fancied bets as Dottie Ardina slugs it out with reigning Malaysia Amateur champion Diana Tham and Thai ace Juruporn Ayutthaya in one of the featured flights in the 54-hole tournament that lured one of the strongest casts in years.

Ardina, eager to nail down the crown missing in her wide collection of local and international trophies, hopes to come up with a strong start against Tham and Ayutthaya, two of a slew of foreign bets tipped to contend for this year’s crown in the country’s premier ladies golfing championship sponsored by San Miguel Corp., Bingo Bonanza, Pacsports-Nike Golf and the Philippine Sports Commission.

There are also former champions Chihiro Ikeda and Jayvie Agojo, last week’s Philippine International Junior Golf Championship winner Andie Unson, veteran campaigner Lovelynn Guioguio and defending champion Cyna Rodriguez, who make up the core of the ICTSI golf squad vying in the tournament organized by the Women’s Golf Association of the Phils.

“Chihiro is showing great form and is raring to go coming off the holiday break while Jayvie is hungry for a title, Andie is oozing with confidence following her victory at Greenfield and Lovelynn is also due for a win,” said ICTSI mentor Nestor Mendoza.

But they will be pitted against a talent-laden international field, headed by Thais Yupaporn Kawinpakorn, Dolnapa Phudthipinji, Jittakarn Chandraviroj and Ayutthaya, and a host of scratch players from Malaysia, Taiwan, China, Japan and South Korea, making the race for this year’s championship at the wind-raked layout wide open.

“It’s anybody’s race on a course as tough as TCC. The greens are fast but who can best control the ball flight will win,” said ICTSI head coach Bong Lopez, whose wards hope to flash their familiarity with the course they call home.

Ikeda is ranged against Indonesia’s top player Ines Chandra Putri and Del Monte’s Apple Fudolin right after the 8:20 a.m. flight of the Ardina group while Rodriguez, hard pressed to duplicate her seven-stroke romp over Guioguio at Southwoods last year, is paired with Kristine Leonen, also of Del Monte, and Phudthipinji in the 8:40 a.m. flight.

Focus will also be on reigning national champion Irina Gabasa, the small but solid-hitting shotmaker from Alta Vista who drew Korean Sun Yun Park and Aretha Pan of Malaysia in the 8:50 a.m. group.

Meanwhile, the event, backed by Bug Busters, RCBC, Absolute, HSBC, Baileys, Inquirer Golf, Chemical Applicators and Co., Inc., De Capricho Jewelers, Gov. Jay Jay C. Suarez of Quezon Province, MJ Carr Golf Management, Inc., Air 21, Jungolf Phils., EEI, The Mills Country Club, Burger King, Omnisource, was launched in simple rites yesterday with WGAP president Rio Co welcoming the participants.

Other WGAP officials are Marilen Bantug, Adele Olives, Theresa Staub, Marissa Romano, Lydia Reyes, Colo Ventosa, Lorna Tabuena, Farah Imperial and Remy Romero-Salas.

Also in the fold are the leading players of the various golf clubs in the country, including those from Sta. Elena, Eagle Ridge, Soutwoods, Valley Golf,

Orchard, Riviera, Tagaytay Highlands, Alta Vista, Forest Hills, Pueblo de Oro, Cangolf, Del Monte, Navy and Southwoods.