Ardina one shot up in Florida golf

MANILA, Philippines - Dottie Ardina is at it again, carding a one-over-par 73 to post a one-stroke lead over American Jessica Korda at the start of the FCWT (Future Collegians Women’s Tour) Mission Inn Challenge at Mission Inn-El Campeon in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida Friday.

Ardina, who blew her bid for a third straight championship in the season when she lost to Oregon’s Kendall Prince in the Terra Lago Open in California last week, made two birdies against three bogeys to pace the 36-hole tournament in the 13-18 age division.

Korda fought back from a four-over card with back-to-back birdies from No. 14 for a 74 while Christine Meier of Michigan shot a 76 for third.

Sarah Ababa, the other ICTSI golf scholar, stumbled with five bogeys in a birdie-less stint while Chihiro Ikeda bogeyed four of the first eight holes, hobbled with a couple of double bogeys with only a birdie to show for joint sixth with a 79.

Reigning RP Ladies Open champion Louise Manalo fared worse with an 81 at 11th.

Still, focus will be on the 15-year-old Ardina, who will be trying to make it three in a row in the East Coast against Korda, a fifth season FCWT player who won the season-opening leg at Tampa Bay.

Ardina, ranked 41st in the Golfweek/Titleist list, holed in a 10-foot birdie putt on No. 3 but failed to rescue pars in three of the six times that she went out of regulation. She canned in another 10-footer for birdie on No. 15 to put herself in familiar place.