Piccio, Ardina coast safely in match play

MANILA, Philippines - Mia Piccio and Dottie Ardina lived up to their billing as they trounced their respective rivals in emphatic fashions to cruise into the second round of the Women’s Trans Amateur Championship match play event at The Country Club of Lincoln in Nebraska Monday.

Piccio, who beat Ardina for the low medal honors in the 36-hole stroke play elims, thumped Hannah Collier, 4&3, while Ardina rolled past Samantha Postillion, 6&5, to lead the ICTSI-backed Filipino bets’ campaign in the 80th staging of the annual event.

Lovelynn Guioguio also came away with an impressive 4&2 victory over Devon Brown in the lower half of the draw.

But three of their teammates fell by the wayside in big upsets, including Cyna Rodriguez and Chihiro Ikeda, who came into the knockout stage holding the Nos. 3 and 4 seedings.

Rodriguez, the reigning RP Open Ladies Amateur champion, struggled in the tree-lined layout with thick roughs, absorbing a 3&1 loss from Sarah Faller, while Ikeda, the reigning SEA Games individual gold medalist, also took a 3&1 setback at the hands of Sofia Toccafondi.

Bambee dela Paz, the other ICTSI bet, three-putted two of the last three holes and dropped a sorry loss to Madeleine Sheils after 19 holes.

Meanwhile, Piccio resumes her bid against Arizona’s Anna Christenson in the Last 32, Ardina squares off with Kyndall Ardoin, while Guioguio battles Heather Lott.