LPGA Q-Series: Guce sizzles with 68; Ardina matches par

MANILA, Philippines – Clariss Guce used a solid start to fuel her drive for an LPGA Tour card, shooting a four-under 68 at the Crossings course to trail Taiwanese Ssu-Chia Cheng by just two at the start of the LPGA Q-Series at the RTJ Magnolia Grove in Mobile, Alabama Thursday (Friday Manila time).

But Dottie Ardina blew a two-under card with a wobbly bogey-par-bogey-par windup at the par-71 Falls layout, settling for a 71 in the other course hosting the grueling six-day final elims stage featuring 104 bidders for the Top 45 slots. She dropped to joint 52nd.

Pauline del Rosario, on the other hand, failed to get going after a birdie feat on the first hole, also at Falls, as the Epson Tour campaigner faltered with three bogeys against a birdie in the last 13 holes and fell to tied 66th with a one-over 72.

But Guce put in the kind of start needed in this kind of cutthroat competition, coming up with excellent short iron play to birdie the frontside par-3s (Nos. 2 and 8). She also set up birdie chances on Nos. 5, 6 and 9, which she all made for a five-under 31.

A mishap on the 10th, however, stalled the two-time Epson Tour winner’s charge and after another birdie on the 15th, the US-based Filipino holed out with her second bogey for a 37 and a 68 for a share of fourth with eight others, including former LPGA card holders Mina Harigae of the US and Canadian Maddie Szeryk.

Cheng, meanwhile, also dominated the Crossings’ frontside with a 31 and like Guce, yielded a stroke on the tough par-4 No. 10. But she birdied Nos. 13 and 14 and ran off with pars the rest of the way to seize the opening day honors with that 66 for a one-stroke lead over Canada’s Savannah Grewal, who also shot a 66 but at the Falls course.

Ardina, a one-time Epson Tour winner, birdied two of the first seven holes to put herself in the early mix and gunned down another birdie on the 11th to negate a bogey on the ninth. But after three pars, she failed to get up-and-down on Nos. 15 and 17 and dropped 27 spots from joint 25th.

Del Rosario also poised herself for a big start with a birdie on the first hole but missed a couple of chances in the next four and dropped strokes on Nos. 6 and 9 on missed green mishaps. She birdied No. 14 to draw level par but bogeyed the next and muffed another chance on the closing par-5 hole.

She and ICTSI stablemate Ardina, however, look to rebound in a switch of courses in the second round Friday.

The Top 45 finishers and ties after six rounds will earn LPGA cards for next year with the Top 20 and ties to play out of Category 14. The rest of those earning LPGA membership will play out of Category 15 while those outside the Top 45 and ties will settle for Epson Tour status. There will be a cut after 72 holes.