Cyna firms up LPGA bid with 70; Dottie rebounds

MANILA, Philippines - Cyna Rodriguez continued to dish out fine form as the pressure mounted, firing a gutsy two-under 70 and moving two rungs better at joint 16th after three rounds of the final LPGA Qualifying School still led by Simin Feng of China at the LPGA International Course in Florida Friday.

Back at the Jones layout where she carded a 71 in the first round, Rodriguez birdied three of the first five holes inside eight feet to negate a missed-green bogey on the par-3 No. 3 then made up for another bogey mishap on No. 12 with a second straight birdie on the par-5 closing hole.

With a 34-36 card, the three-time ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour Order of Merit champion pooled a 54-hole haul of four-under 212, still eight shots behind a solid Feng, who shot a 69 for a 204 but well within the Top 20 which will earn automatic LPGA Tour cards next year.

Dottie Ardina also got back into the thick of things, rebounding from an awful 76 at the Hills course Thursday with a four-under 68 back at Jones, leapfrogging from a share of 95th to a share of 48th with still two rounds left in the grueling qualifier which also gives conditional status for players finishing 21st-45th, including ties.

“Their battle cry has been go-go-go, so I told Cyna to stay on the attack mode but not to play overconfident while Dottie has found her range and regained her confidence, so it will be an interesting final two rounds for our aces,” said the duo’s swing coach Bong Lopez of Team The Country Club.