Dottie, Pauline spearhead PH charge at Summit Point
Dottie Ardina sees rare local soil action starting on Wednesday when the Paris Olympian spearheads a loaded Philippine charge in the ICTSI PH Ladies Masters that will be played for the first time at Summit Point in Lipa, Batangas.
Campaigning almost exclusively in the United States, Ardina, who finished inside the top 15 in the glitzy French capital close to two years ago, is easily the most celebrated Filipino in the 126-strong field made up of standouts from Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea and even Japan, among others.
Pauline del Rosario, Sam Bruce, Princess Superal and Mafy Singson are the other big names chasing the crown together with Sarah Ababa, last year’s Order of Merit winner on the LPGT, and Florence Bisera, the top Filipino finisher in the China Tour Qualifying late last year.
“I will be cramming for some familiarity,” Ardina told the Inquirer over the phone on Monday, just hours after arriving from a ninth-place finish in the Indonesian Open.
The $200,000 (roughly P11.6 million), 54-hole event is the biggest women’s pro golf tournament for the year.
Del Rosario is the first Filipino to win on the Taiwan LPGA and was the top local finisher last year when she tied for fourth at The Country Club in Laguna.
