Ardina pulls thru in playoff, leads ICTSI romp

MANILA, Philippines - Dottie Ardina fought back from a costly bogey on the 18th with a brilliant approach shot that set up six-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole as she nipped Thai Pannarat Thanapunboonyarat to capture the 21st SICC-DBS Junior Invitational Golf Championship crown in Singapore Thursday.

Ardina missed clinching the crown outright with a flubbed par-putt bid from seven feet at the end of the 54-hole tournament, settling for a 75 and enabling Thanapunboonyarat to force a sudden death at 219 after a two-over 74.

But the 18-year-old ICTSI The Country Club spearhead hit a superb rescue shot from 185 yards on the first playoff hole to within six feet then coolly sank the putt to beat her Thai rival, who made a routine par, and clinch the hard-earned win that capped an impressive campaign in the season about to end.

“Dottie showed toughness in the playoff. She shrugged off her bogey mishap on the final hole and stayed focused, hitting her rescue shot with confidence,” said ICTSI team coach and former Philippine Ladies Open champion Carmelette Villaroman.

Ardina’s win likewise led the ICTSI squad’s sweep of the three titles disputed in the three-day tournament with Sarah Ababa running away with the Class A (17-19) crown with a 225 despite a closing 78 as she beat local bet Joey Poh, who had a 74-237, by 12.

Princess Superal carded a one-over 73 and pooled a 222 to pocket the Class B (13-16) diadem, three shots ahead of Singapore’s Amanda Tan, who had a 225 after a 72.

The win came on the heels of Ardina’s victories in the Taiwan Amateur, the Penang Open and the Canlubang Amateur and capped the ICTSI bets’  remarkable campaign in the latter part of the season.

Clinging on a one-shot lead after 36 holes, Ardina matched Thanapunboonyarat’s pars in the early going then gunned down a birdie on the fifth from three feet only to reel back with a double-bogey on the eighth. She dropped another stroke on No. 14 but remained on top as the Thai bet likewise struggled with her short game.