Cyna clips Lee, sweeps Aussie Women’s titles

MANILA, Philippines - Cyna Rodriguez used a strong start to dominate Jenny Lee then survived a final backside meltdown to hack out a 2&1 victory and capture the South Australian Women’s Amateur Championship match play crown at the Grange Golf Club in South Australia yesterday.

Rodriguez went 4-up after the first 18 holes of the 36-hole finale, padded the lead to six with eight holes to play but floundered in the face of Lee’s searing fightback in the final holes. But she matched Lee’s par on the 17th to finally stave off the South Australia-based Korean and clinch the coveted crown.

“The wind started to blow hard in the closing holes and I made bogeys and she hit a couple of birdies. But I stayed focused and made some clutch putts in the end,” said Rodriguez.

The top ICTSI-The Country Club bet thus became the first Filipina to win the premier individual championship in South Australia which started in 1920. It also capped the reigning Hong Kong Ladies Amateur Open champion’s splendid performance in the week where she fired a course-record five-under 68 in the second round behind exceptional putting to claim the low medal honors in the 36-hole stroke play elims at the par-73 Flagstaff Hill course.

“Coach Bong (Lopez) and I are really working hard on our putting. That’s the goal of the team this year and that’s what our boss (ICTSI chair and CEO Ricky Razon) has been telling us – to dedicate more hours and time to putting. So even our putting drills are hard, complete with video analysis,” said Rodriguez.

Jayvie Agojo missed making it an all-Filipina finale when she dropped a 2&1 decision to Lee in the Final Four.

But Rodriguez got the job done, virtually settling the outcome by going 4-up in the morning duel. Lee, however, came out strong at the break by taking the first two holes but Rodriguez struck back to win the next two and took another hole to go 5-up after nine holes.

Rodriguez won No. 11 to go 6-up but Lee swept the next four holes in scary fashion as the Filipino ace wavered in the wind, enabling South Australia’s top player to move within two. But Lee ran out of holes as the duo halved the 16th hole and Rodriguez two-putting for par on the next hole to wrap up the championship.