Cyna debuts at Eagle Ridge Fiery start looms in LPGT today

MANILA, Philippines - The ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour holds its third leg at Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club today with fireworks expected right in the first round of the P500,000 event at the Aoki course in Cavite.

Debuting pro Cyna Rodriguez gets a chance to pit her skills and talent against fellow former Philippine Ladies Open champion Jayvie Agojo in an early match-up of the favorites with Apple Fudolin the third player in the featured 8:20 a.m. flight.

Rodriguez missed winning the first leg crown of the inaugural circuit as an amateur, blowing a final round lead and yielding the title to fancied Dottie Ardina at The Country Club last May. She has toughened up before joining the big league, winning two titles in Sacramento and Long Beach last month and reaching the match play phase of the recent US Women’s Amateur. 

Ardina also ruled the second leg crown at Canlubang in runaway fashion. But the former top ICTSI team mainstay begged off to compete this week to pursue her bid for the LPGA Tour card.

That makes the fight for the top P100,000 purse wide-open with Anya Tanpinco, Sarah Ababa, Lovelynn Guioguio, Tracy Que and Fudolin tipped to crowd Agojo and Rodriguez for the crown in the 54-hole event sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

For one, Agojo is raring to better her fifth-place finishes in the first two legs, hoping for a big start for the needed momentum and the expected charge of Rodriguez and the rest of the compact field.

Also in the title chase are former Philippine Ladies Open winners Mary Grace Estuesta and Heidi Chua along with Eva Miñoza, Sylvia Torres, Lina de Guzman, Marjorie Pulumbarit, Jan Punzalan, Barsy Leonen and former jungolf star Reb Bareng.

The Eagle Ridge leg, backed by Nike Golf, Pacsports, Gatorade, Sharp and Custom Clubmakers, was originally scheduled last week but was washed out by Typhoon Maring and Habagat, giving the field ample time to prepare and guaranteeing a spirited battle for top honors.

After the Eagle Ridge stage, action shifts to Wack Wack for the ICTSI Wack Wack LPGT on Sept. 10-12 before the circuit winds up in Baguio for the ICTSI Camp John Hay LPGT on Oct. 29-31.