Cyna rips Agojo in sudden death

HONG KONG – Cyna Rodriguez carded a gutsy even-par 71 then foiled Team ICTSI-Philippines teammate Jayvie Agojo on the first playoff hole to capture the Hong Kong Ladies Amateur Open crown at the Discovery Bay Golf Club here yesterday.

Rodriguez, who started the round tied with Sarah Ababa and one stroke ahead of Agojo, hung tough in the closing holes to hold off the charging Agojo then steeled herself up in the pressure-packed sudden death to annex the hotly disputed championship.

The former Philippine Ladies Amateur Open champion made a routine par on the par-4 No. 1 which Agojo, which closed out with a one-under 70, bogeyed after flubbing her par-putt bid from six feet. They assembled similar 211s in the 54-hole tournament.

It was a sorry setback for the 26-year-old Agojo, who had hoped for a successful title-retention bid after storming back into contention with a 69 Thursday. The former Pepperdine U standout also came off a big win in last week’s Santi Cup in Indonesia.

Ababa, the first round leader, wavered with a 72 and missed joining the playoff at 212 but completed an impressive 1-2-3 finish by the ICTSI-backed bets in the annual tournament, which Agojo won by three last year.

Agojo’s 211, meanwhile, enabled her to keep the Mid-Amateur crown, 13 shots ahead of ICTSI teammate Lovelynn Guioguio, who made a 224 after a 75.

Hong Kong’s Tiffany Chan fired a 70 and finished joint fourth in the Open division at 213 with compatriot Michelle Cheung, who had a 72.

Thais Chayanit Wangmahaporn placed sixth with a 217 after a 72 while Kamonwan Lueamsri, also of Thailand, made a 75 for a 218 for seventh.

Guioguio wound up ninth behind Taiwan’s Tsai Hsin En, who fired a 71 and a 221, while Princess Superal struggled to finish in joint 14th at 227 after a 75.