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DASMARINAS, Cavite – Cyna Rodriguez fended off Chihiro Ikeda’s early charge with clutch pars and a birdie then cruised to a five-shot romp over Jayvie Agojo on a closing one-under 71 in the P500,000 ICTSI Orchard Golf Ladies Classic at Orchard’s Player Course here Wednesday.

Rodriguez shook off a scrambling start then hit a 10-footer for birdie on No. 8 to pad his overnight four-shot lead to five at the turn then finished off her rivals with routine pars to complete a dominant start on this year’s ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.

ICTS ORCHARD GOLF LADIES CLASSIC
Cyna Rodriguez flashes the No. 3 sign after winning the ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour’s ICTSI Orchard Golf Ladies Classic in runaway fashion, beating Jayvie Agojo by five at Orchard’s Player Course Wednesday. It was Rodriguez’s third victory on the country’s first-ever ladies pro tour after topping the Eagle Ridge and Wack Wack legs last year.

“When Chihiro birdied No. 1, I thought she would make a run (at the title). But she dropped a shot on the next and that calmed me in the next 16 holes,” said Rodriguez, who had a total of four-under 212, including a 69 in the second round that put her four ahead of Ikeda heading to the final round of the 54-hole tournament sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc.

“It was a very good week overall. There were misses and near-misses but I am happy to come out on top,” said Rodriguez, who ruled the Eagle Ridge and Wack Wack legs in last year’s inaugurals of the country’s first-ever ladies pro tour organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

Ikeda birdied the opening hole to close in, only to yield the stroke on the next. She rolled in a six-footer for birdie on the fourth but bogeyed the seventh to fall farther back by five at the turn, flubbing a couple of birdie putts from close range.

“I was actually hitting it good but I just couldn’t make the putts that I normally make,” said Ikeda, who three-putted No. 10 for a double-bogey and dropped two strokes after an errant drive on No. 17 for a 75. “Those double-bogeys were killers.”

Those mishaps also enabled Agojo to snatch runner-up honors at 217 after the former Philippine Ladies Open champion shot the day’s best two-under 70 in another challenging day at the par-72 layout, dropping Ikeda to third at 220.

Agojo, who fell behind by six with an awful 77 Tuesday, gunned down four birdies against two bogeys after 13 holes but missed a couple of birdie putts coming home.

“My putting was terrible. I missed around four easy 3-4-footers,” said Agojo. “Everything was good except putting and knowing Cyna, she played well enough since she knew she was in the lead.”

Amateur Daniella Uy fumbled with a 75 after two 73s but still ran away with the low amateur honors with a 221 while finishing fourth overall, ahead of veteran Anya Tanpinco, who had a 222 after a 75, in the event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and backed by Nike Golf, Pacsports , Custom Clubmakers and Sharp.

Lovelynn Guioguio blew a superb 33 card at the front with four bogeys and a double-bogey in a birdie-less backside stint for a 75 for sixth at 230 while Sarah Ababa wound up seventh at 231 after a 74.

Cebuana Amateur LK Go placed eighth at 234 after a 77 while Apple Fudolin skied to an 80 and finished tied for ninth with another amateur Sam Bruce, who had a 79, at 238.