Ikeda nails Selangor Open title over Ardina

MANILA, Philippines - Chihiro Ikeda turned in a fiery closing round of five-under 68 to scuttle ICTSI teammate Dottie Ardina and capture the Royal Selangor Ladies Open crown at the Royal Selangor Golf Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last Thursday.

It was Ikeda’s sixth victory halfway through the season, underscoring her readiness for the LPGA Qualifying later this year. She also humbled Ardina for the Philippine Ladies Open title in January, dominated the Southern Ladies Championship, topped the Thailand Ladies Open while powering Team Phl-ICTSI to the team championship before stamping her class in the recent Johor Amateur Open.

She actually came off a runner-up finish in the Japan Women’s Amateur Open where she was clobbered by Mamiko Higa by eight strokes. But Ikeda rebounded with a big win this week, outsteadying Ardina, who closed out with a one-under 72-218, in another impressive finish for a 214.

Malaysian Kelly Tan, the first day co-leader, also lost her bid in the face of Ikeda’s solid round, dropping to third with a 220 after a 73.

Tied with Ardina, the reigning Queen Sirikit Cup individual champion and winner of the True Vision Junior crown in Thailand, after 36 holes, Ikeda pounced on Ardina’s flubbed par putts on Nos. 15 and 16 to turn what had been a tight contest into a rout.

Ardina actually took a two-shot lead with a birdie on No. 1 which Ikeda bogeyed while Malaysian Kelly Tan, one behind the Phl bets at the start of the round, grabbed the lead with two birdies on the first three holes.

But Ikeda wrested the lead with back-to-back birdies from No. 6 as Ardina and Tan settled for pars and went two-up on No. 15 with a gutsy par coupled with bogeys by Ardina and Tan en route to a convincing four-shot win with a 214.

She shot a 71 in the first round to seize the lead but wavered with a 75 and dropped into a tie with Ardina, who strung up two 73s.

But Ardina failed to match her rival’s solid start in the final round, settling for pars while missing a couple of birdie opportunities at the back. She wound up with a 218.

Sun Choi and Sheryl Villacencio, the two other ICTSI bets, ended up with 237 and 246 after an 80 and 86, respectively.