Fortuna blows WWGA title bid, settles for second

MANILA, Philippines – Mikha Fortuna squandered a 2-up lead with six holes to play as Jillian Hollis put on a sizzling windup of four birdies to snare a 2-up victory in the 36-hole finale in the Women’s Western Golf Association’s 116th National Amateur Championships at the Dayton Country Club in Dayton, Ohio Saturday.

Just as she thought she had the match under control with a birdie on their second trip on the par-5 No. 12 to remain 2-up, Fortuna failed to match Hollis’ back-to-back birdies from No. 13 that sent the match back to all-square.

Sustaining her form and momentum, Hollis birdied No. 15 to wrest control then birdied the 18th to complete her come-from-behind win.

It was a sorry setback for Fortuna, who actually fought back from two holes down in their morning duel with birdies on Nos. 8 and 9 to draw level then fell by two again as Hollis birdied Nos. 10 and 11 but forced another all-square match as the Ohio native bogeyed Nos. 13 and 16. The top The Country Club bet took No. 18 to go 1-up at the break.

Fortuna buckled down to work at resumption, birdying the first hole to go 2-up but Hollis birdied the next and the De La Salle-Zobel student struck back with her own birdie on No. 4 and took the seventh hole to go 3-up.

But the local bet refused to yield and countered with birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 but fell by two again as Fortuna rolled in a six-footer for birdie on the 12th.

Despite the loss, Fortuna, who will turn 16 on Nov. 2, impressed a lot with her solid showing all week with the WWGA website commenting: “Watching her play and the strength of her short game, one can only wonder how good a golfer she can become as she grows up.”

Fortuna hopes to contend again in next month’s Callaway Junior World in San Diego along with the other TCC teammates, including reigning Thailand Ladies Amateur Open champion Pauline del Rosario.