BAGUIO – Manila Southwoods-Masters closed out with impressive 151 points to rule the fifth Camp John Hay Asian Ladies Championship with a 15-point victory over Orchard-Palmer at the Camp John Hay Golf Club yesterday.
Bernadette Abiera fired a team-best 51 points under the Modified Stableford scoring format to anchor the Carmona-based squad’s final day romp in the centerpiece Group I event of the three-day tournament.
Kat Gonzales and Claire Ong added 50 points each as Southwoods-Carmona finished with a 437 aggregate, 15 points clear of Orchard-Palmer’s 422 after a 140.
Southwoods’ Claudine Garcia, using an 8-iron Yamaha Impress D and a Bridgestone No. 4 ball, holed out with an ace at the 130-yard No. 18 for 45 points, which did not count for the team in the four-to-play, three-to-count format.
“We did not expect to win by a large margin but we are very happy to beat them,” said Southwoods-Carmona team captain Nini Samaniego.
After catching the fancied team at the helm in the first round, Orchard-Palmer stayed within striking distance despite falling four points behind on the second day. But the Dasmariñas-based team crumbled in the face of the Southwoods bets’ final round charge at the par-69 Jack Nicklaus-designed layout.
Princess Superal paced Orchard with 52 points but failed to draw support from the rest of the team. Crystal Faith Superal had 47 points while Tina Gonzales made 41 points.
Aguinaldo came in third with 404 points after a 130.
Tagaytay Highlands, meanwhile, also dominated Group II, turning in 132 points for 379 and a 15-point rout of host Camp John Hay, which struggled with a 126 for a 364.
Len Yaptangco led Tagaytay with 48 points while Hedy See and Malene Flores scored 43 and 41 points, respectively.
Korea Team I wound up with a 368 after a 133 as it posted a whopping 69-point margin over Camp John Hay Team II to capture the Group III plum, while Tagaytay Belle toppled Valley Executive, 278-276, to cop the Group IV diadem.