Piccio romps away with US jungolf title

Mia Piccio sustained the momentum of Team Philippines’ impressive campaign overseas when she topped the girls division of the 2006 Jack & Madeleine Hooper Memorial Major golf tournament with a closing 71 at the California Country Club in Whittier, California over the weekend.

The smooth-swinging 14-year-old lass, toughened up by her stint in the recent Junior World in San Diego where three Filipinos won in a record feat, battled from five strokes down in the first round with a solid three-under par 71 in the final day to beat erstwhile frontrunner Alice Kim of California by three strokes with a 146 in the 36-hole championship of the Junior Amateur Golf Scholars (JAGS) tour that included players in the 12-18-year-old bracket.

It was indeed a rousing win for Piccio, who rose to national consciousness by finishing second to former RP Ladies Open champion Frances Bondad in the ladies category of last year’s Philippine Amateur Golf Championships and coming up with a runner-up finish in the ASEAN Juniors in Jakarta early this year.

Down by five after 18 holes with a 75 at the 6,098-yard layout, the bespectacled shotmaker from Bacolod never got discouraged and birdied three of her first five holes to draw level with Kim. By the time they made the turn, Piccio was already up by two, coasting to victory with a steady long game and superb putting touch.

Kim, who fired a 70 in the first round, cracked up under pressure and limped home with a 79 and a 149 for second.

"I kept the ball in play on my drives and that proved to be the key since I hit more greens," said Piccio, who also drew inspiration from her parents, Boy and Gina Piccio, Junior World champion Cyna Rodriguez and her mom Cherry, who were in the gallery throughout the final 18 holes. "I was not nervous because I trained hard this summer and I knew that my time to win will come if I practice hard and practice correctly."

Truly, the training with fellow ICSTI teammates the last few months paid off for the veteran of US Kids Tour and Junior World competitions, who finished joint 13th in the 13-14 division ruled by Rodriguez in San Diego two weeks ago.

That was one of the two crowns Team ICSTI won in this year’s Junior World, the other being the 11-12 title copped by Dottie Ardina. Team Philippines actually scored a record three-title romp in the annual bash, counting the victory of Clare Amelia Legaspi in the 7-8 age category.

"It was really an impressive win by Mia since she beat older and bigger opponents," said Chris Guerrero, who with national mentor Bong Lopez and Nestor Mendoza, oversees the overseas training of a 22-player pool sponsored by ICSTI (International Container Services Terminal, Inc.).

"This is the first major international win for Mia and this will surely boost her confidence for the coming events," said Guerrero, adding that Piccio is set to compete in one more tournament in Corona, California early next month before resuming her campaign, along with the other members of the ICSTI squad, in Asia.

Meanwhile, Debbie de Villa, priming up for next month’s US Women’s Amateurs in Portland, carded a 73 and stood in third place in the first round of the girls’ 14-15 bracket paced by Thailand’s Tanaporn Kongkiatkrai and Yupaporn Kawinpakorn, who both had 69s, while John Abdon also shot a 73 for a share of second in the boys side of the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships at the PGA National Golf Club, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida Saturday.