Anya, Bambee trail leaders by one in Indonesian Open

JAKARTA — The RP ladies golf squad struggled on the sleek putting surface of the Padang Golf Pondok Indah Golf Club with Anya Tanpinco and Bambee dela Paz carding identical five-over par 77s to trail Indons Ines Tjiptadi, Andani and Juriah by one stroke at the start of the 28th Indonesia Ladies Amateur Open here yesterday.

Already fazed by the layout’s glass-top greens, the field struggled even more with testy pin placements where three-putts proved to be a virtual rule rather than exception, thus sending the scores soaring in the tournament which drew 80 participants from around the Asean region.

Tanpinco, veteran of the World Amateurs and third here last year, had three three-putts in a round of 40-37 while the 16-year-old De la Paz of Miriam College played with sheer determination to string together nines of 36-41.

They stood one shot behind Tjiptadi and Andani, who both shot 38-38 rounds, and Junah who had a 37-39, to pace the field in the 36-hole individual competition.

Junior World champions Cyna Rodriguez and Dottie Ardina turned in 78 (38-40) and 79 (41-38), respectively, a pair of respectable rounds under such playing condition where most pins are placed on the ridges, thus leaving the players with no option but to putt straight into the hole.

"The ball would go back if you do not putt straight into the hole. Some of our players made 4 or 5 putts while other players had 8 and even 9 putts. That’s how it was here," Bong Lopez, the head coach of the three-squad RP delegation, whose stint here is sponsored by the International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI), as part of the team’s buildup for next month’s World Amateurs and the Asian Games in Doha in December.

Lopez added that the tournament committee had an emergency meeting late last night after complaints were raised regarding the speed of the greens and the position of some holes in sloping areas of the green.

Debbie de Villa, the reigning RP Ladies Open champion, and Crystal Superal each groped with 81s, Linnel de Villa and Mia Piccio, winner of the JAGS’ Jack & Madaline Hooper Memorial Major Tournament in California recently, fumbled with 83s while Lora Roberto shot herself in the foot with a fat 88.

RP Team A, composed of Tanpinco, De Villa and Ardina, stood two shots of Indonesia in team competition, a three-to-play, two-to-count format, 36-hole event, with a 156 on Tanpinco’s 77 and Ardina’s 79. The Indons had a 154 on Andani’s 76 (38-38) and Lydia Jaya’s 78.