Pinays hike lead to 3 vs Thais

HONG KONG – The Philippines leaned on Dottie Ardina’s brilliance and Jayvie Agojo’s fightback to buck Chihiro Ikeda’s atrocious game as it assembled a 213 to increase its lead back to three against Thailand heading to the final round of the Santi Cup at the Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club here yesterday.

Ardina hit a crucial birdie on the par-3 16th to fire a two-under 68, her third straight under-par round, Agojo matched par 70 and Andie Unson counted despite a birdie-less 75 as the gutsy Filipinas survived another shaky windup the way they did Wednesday for a 54-hole aggregate of 629.

Ikeda, who led the team’s charge with a 67 halfway through the 72-hole championship, also ended up with a 75 as she bogeyed four of the last eight holes, including the par-5 18th that somehow kept the Thais within striking distance at 632 after a 214.

“Chihiro simply lost her focus at the back, missing a lot of putts but Dottie remains as solid as ever. Jayvie also made a good account of herself after two poor rounds while I hope Andie to bounce back tomorrow (today),” said national team and ICTSI golf squad coach Bong Lopez.

“That’s the tough thing in team play, to be able to get these girls scoring together. But after three rounds, they were able to prove themselves with Jayvie stepping up. I just hope they will all play their best tomorrow,” he added.

Like in the second round, the ICTSI-backed ladies team, whose campaign along with the the men’s and junior squads, is sanctioned by the National Golf Association of the Phils. and supported by ICTSI and the Philippine Sports Commission, gained a three-stroke lead over Thailand at the turn with an even-par aggregate as Ardina made a 33 and Agojo and Ikeda shot 36s with Unson struggling with a 37.

The Thais, who moved within two of the Pinays with a backside rally midway through the event, had a three-over card after nine holes with Pinrath Loomboonruang firing a 34, Pavarisa Yoktuan and Panitta Yusabai making a 36 and 38, respectively, and Wad Phaewchimplee out with a 40.

But while Agojo made it to even par with a birdie on No. 14, Ardina stumbled with a bogey on the 13th and Ikeda reeled back with three straight bogeys from No. 11.

Unson didn’t fare well either, bogeying three of the first four holes at the back.

But the Thais failed to cash in on the Filipinas’ meltdown with only Loomboonruang managing to rebound from a triple-bogey mishap on the par-5 No. 2 with five birdies the rest of the way for that 68.

With a 204 total, the Thai ace kept a one-stroke lead over Ardina (205) in the individual competition with erstwhile joint second running Ikeda tumbling down to fifth with a 212.

“This is very interesting. I missed a couple of birdie putts and made some poor shots but overall, it’s another good round,” said Ardina in Filipino.

The other scorers for Thailand were Yusabai and Yoktuan, who had 72 and 74, respectively, with Phaewchimpee failing to count with a 78.

Malaysia improved to third but stood too far behind at 645 after a 212, making the final round a shootout between the Filipinas and the Thais. Hong Kong slid to fourth with a 659 after a 229 followed by Singapore (223-668) and Indonesia (226-683).

Meanwhile, the national junior team moved one rung up to fourth with a 222 for a 667 but virtually yielded the Santi Cup crown as it remained 18 strokes behind Thailand.

The Putra Cup team, on the other hand, remained in the cellar with a 662 after a 219 although it closed within Thailand, which has a 659 after a 222, in a surprise duel of the region’s top teams at the tailend of the seven-team field with Myanmar barely ahead of the duo with a 657 after a 223.

Singapore unleashed a fiery third round charge as four players broke par with Jerome Ng’s 69 failing to count. Marc Ong led the attack with a 66, Tze Huang Choo shot a 67 and Gregory Foo carded a 68 for a nine-under 201 and a 54-hole aggregate of 630 as the Singaporeans grabbed a two-shot lead over halfway leader Hong Kong, who slid to second with a 632 despite a solid two-under 208.

Indonesia was far behind in third with a 641 after a 216 while Malaysia lay just a stroke behind at 642 after a 215.

Lloyd Go, a revelation from Cebu, matched par 70 to emerge the top scorer for the men’s team with Zanie Boy Gialon and Art Arbole adding 74 and 75, respectively, and John Kier Abdon out for the third straight time with a 78.

Andres Saldaña, meanwhile, led the juniors squad with a 73, Gio Gandionco made a 74 and either Rupert Zaragoza or Clyde Mondilla’s 75 counted for the team’s 222 and a 667.

The defending champion got past Singapore (229-671) and Hong Kong (231-693) but was too way behind Thailand, which braced for a final round shootout with Malaysia with a 649 after a 220. The Malaysians rallied with a 213 to move within three at 652. Indonesia is in third with a 662 after a 223.