PRESS RELEASE
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.
“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.
