Strong finish gives Dottie Ardina tie for 15th, P1.3 million purse

MANILA, Philippines — Dottie Ardina finally snapped a string of so-so finishes on the LPGA Tour with a superb closing six-under 66, ending up joint 15th in the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic won by former world No. 1 Shanshan Feng of China with a final hole birdie in Oneida, Wisconsin yesterday.

Ardina capped her three-day run of under-par cards with six birdies in a 10-hole stretch from No. 6, finishing with a pair of 33s for a 20-under 268 total and barely missing a Top 10 finish in the $2 million event that featured the world’s best and marked by torrid scoring at the Oneida Nation course.

“I feel like it’s a short game and iron approach shots. The greens are pretty soft, so you can always throw a dart. I really liked the speed of the greens and I think it really fits me,” said Ardina, who had failed to advance in 10 of her 14 tournaments as a full-card holder in the world’s premier ladies circuit.

She earned $25,166 (P1.3 million) for the four-day work that included a 68 and two 67s, just falling a stroke short of a dream top 10 finish but more than enough to build confidence for next week’s Marathon Classic in Ohio.

“Just going to try to enjoy the next few events, hopefully get more top 10 or top 20s to bump up in the money list,” said the ICTSI-backed Canlubang ace.

She refused to be overwhelmed by her top 15 result being a career best as she looks and vows to improve in her next tournaments.

“I’ll take it but it (20-under) is not enough although it’s a good start for the next few weeks,” added Ardina, who actually missed the top 25 in her first appearance at Thornberry Classic in 2017.

But after four-under start, spiked by a closing three-birdie binge at the front, things looked up for the diminutive but talented shotmaker, who finished with just five bogeys against 25 birdies.

She hit all greens on the final day, relying mainly on her skills and talent and listening to her caddy all week for the approach that led her to be so consistent this week.

“I have to be patient, every hole, one shot at a time. Just stay focused and calm,” said Ardina, who hit 44 of 56 fairways in four days, posted a driving average distance of 239 yards, normed 28 putts and missed just 10 greens in four days.

So solid was her iron play that she hit the bunker just once (in the second round) and saved par.

Feng birdied the 18th for a 63 and 29-under 259 and edging erstwhile leader Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand (64-260).