Dottie misses LPGA card, gains D-Tour

MANILA, Philippines - Dottie Ardina gained an LPGA membership but failed to earn a regular card as she missed the Top 20, settling for joint 32nd for a Category 17 status after an even par 72 at the Jones Course of LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida Sunday.

Ardina blew a two-under card after 12 holes with a shaky windup and missed a dream Top 20 finish. With a closing 72, Ardina wound up with a two-under 358 for joint 32nd, four strokes behind the 20th player. She made it to the Symetra development tour.

The top 20 thus gained LPGA Tour cards starting next year with the next 21st to 48th earning priority status.

Like in the third round where she shot a sizzling eagle spiked six-under 66 to finish joint 27th after the 72-hole elims, Ardina settled for a 36 on a birdie-bogey stint at the front then birdied two of the first three holes at the back to go two-under.

Unlike in her stirring Saturday fightback, however, the Filipina ace stumbled with a bogey on the par-5 No. 13 then dropped another stroke on No. 15. She birdied the next but bogeyed No. 17 before flubbing a seven-footer for birdie on the 18th which she eagled the previous round.

American Jaye Green completed a wire-to-wire triumph, firing a 68 and winning the low medal honors with a record 29-under 331, 10 shots ahead of South Korean Mi Rim Lee, who had a 341 after a 69.