Pinays reign in World Cup of golf

The Philippines, with Dorothy Delasin making crucial birdie putts in the closing holes, shot a seven-under par 65 to beat South Korea by two strokes in a gripping finale for the Women’s World Cup crown in Sun City, South Africa Sunday.

Delasin, a four-time winner on the LPGA Tour, birdied the last three holes in the better-ball format as the RP golfers battled back from two shots down at the backside to turn back the faltering Koreans and deliver the Philippines’ biggest golf championship ever worth a whopping $280,000 (P11.2 million).

The Philippines’ final round output matched its first round score under the same format and counting its four-under 68 card in the alternate-shot Saturday, it finished with a 54-hole aggregate of 18-under par 198, beating Korea’s 200.

Japan and Taiwan tied for third on 13-under 203.

“This is a very big day for the Philippines and for golf in the country,” Delasin said.”This win is for all the Filipinos around the world.”

“It was a real team effort,” said Delasin’s teammate Jennifer Rosales, a two-time LPGA winner.” The win hasn’t really sunk in at the moment, maybe it will when we have a few beers later. I loved the pressure of having to make each putt and I’m glad I came here to compete with my partner.”

The Filipinos and the Koreans started the day tied for the lead but Shin Ji-yai and Ji Eun-hee wrested a two-shot lead at the turn with a bogey-free 33 as Delasin and Rosales stumbled with a bogey on the par-5 No. 5 against two birdies for a 35.

But the RP duo never got discouraged and flashed some kind of resiliency, birdying Nos. 11 and 12 to draw level again.

“We were kind of shaky on the front nine, but we got our groove on the back nine,” Delasin said.” On the back nine we said to ourselves win or lose we are going to have fun.”

Shin and Ji actually went up by one again at the 14th with a birdie, but the Philippines hit right back at the 15th with a birdie from Delasin.

The four-time winner on the LPGA Tour then went into overdrive with three-straight birdies from No. 16 as the Philippines achieved what it had failed to do in 2005 when it finished joint second with Korea in the inaugural staging of the event topped by Japan.

“Korea played really well and gave us our money’s worth,” Delasin said.

Shin and Ji came to the final hole two shots behind the Philippines and, after Shin found the green with her second on the par-5 18th, the Koreans still had a chance of forcing a playoff.

But Shin, who hit a dramatic second shot that looked like it was  flying into the water but instead ricocheted off the rocks and onto the green, flubbed a 30-foot eagle putt and Delasin made her birdie to give the Philippines  its biggest golf title in the country’s history.

Host South Africa finished tied for sixth on 10-under-par 206 after a 66, its best performance in the tournament’s history.

Last year’s champion Paraguay finished ninth with rounds of 66, 73 and 68 for a three-round total of 207.