Lady golfers out to retain SEAG crowns

MANILA, Philippines - While the other Filipino bets seek to end their rivals’ domination in other fronts in the 26th SEA Games, the lady golfers hope to extend their reign both in the individual and team competitions of the event unfolding Nov. 14 in Indonesia.

“We have a very good chance of winning the team and individual golds again,” said national ladies team coach Bong Lopez on the eve of the team’s departure for Jakarta.

“It’s actually a challenge – to repeat as double gold winners. But the girls are in top form and are ready,” he added.

With Dottie Ardina and Andie Unson enjoying top form coming off victories abroad and Chihiro Ikeda raring to brandish a re-tooled swing, the ICTSI-backed squad are out to repeat their sweep of the gold medals in the last SEA Games in Laos.

Lopez said winning the gold medal for the country and winning them for their chief benefactor and ICTSI chairman Ricky Razon are enough motivation for the Phl ladies, who have prepared for this big event for two years.

Ikeda nipped Thai ace Yupaporn Kawinpakorn in a thrilling final round duel to win the individual gold and anchor the squad’s romp in team competition in Laos in 2009.

While Lopez stressed that the Phl will be the team to beat in the event, Thailand remains the country’s chief rival for top honors with Malaysia as dark horse.

“They (Thais) beat us in the last Santi Cup,” said Lopez, referring to the team’s final round fold-up that enabled Thailand to snatch a one-stroke victory in the ladies side of the Putra Cup in Hong Kong last September. “They have very good players, so we have to play our best.”

Ardina and Unson have been dishing out their best games lately with the former racking up a series of victories this year, starting with the Queen Sirikit Cup individual title, the True Vision Junior crown, the San Diego Masters, the Malaysia Juniors, and just recently, the Thailand Amateur crown where she posted a record 10-shot romp.

Unson, the reigning Philippine Amateur Open champion and Optimist International winner, bested China’s leading players by topping the China Amateur Open diadem last month.

While Ikeda’s game dipped the last few months, Lopez remains confident of his ward’s form when they set out for the event on Nov. 14-16.

“Chihiro is always ready, she has six international wins this year and almost won the Japan Amateur,” said Lopez, also the man at helm of the ICTSI golf program. “We were fixing a flaw in her swing and lately she is getting comfortable with it, that’s the reason her game dipped.”

Jayvie Agojo, the former Philippine Ladies Open champion who swept this year’s Hong Kong Amateur Open titles in the Open and Mid-Amateur divisions, is the team’s alternate player.

The team had already familiarized itself with the Jagorawi Country Club course last month and found the par-72 tree-lined layout similar to the Palos Verdes Golf Club in Davao.

“It’s a hilly, tight course with emphasis on the long game. They have to hit the fairway since the rough is quite long. The greens are also fast,” said Lopez.