Arevalo seeks strong start in WAPT golf tourney

MANILA, Philippines – Abby Arevalo mounts her own battle in pursuit of an LPGA Tour card, kicking off her campaign in the new season in the Houma Golf Classic unfolding Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila time) at the Ellendale Country Club in Houma, Louisiana.

The $55,000, 72-hole championship also marks the start of the Women’s All Pro Tour (WAPT) and the PXT Race to Stage II where the top five players after the grueling 13-stage circuit will advance outright to Stage II of the LPGA Tour Qualifying this year.

Pauline del Rosario won the WAPT’s Central Arkansas Open leg last year but Arevalo, who also launched her pro career with a victory on the Cactus Tour, and her fellow ICTSI player fell short of their bids in the LPGA eliminations.

Del Rosario is now waging her campaign on the Epson Tour, formerly the Symetra Tour, after winning a leg in the East Coast Women’s Pro Tour, the other highly competitive pro women’s circuit for players aspiring to make it the LPGA Tour.

Arevalo, the 2020 Philippine Ladies Open champion, hopes to start strong in an 11:50 a.m. tee-time with Jennifer Ayala and Caroline Hwang on No. 10 of the long 7,101-yard, par-72 layout with the longest par-5 on No. 7 measured at 580 yards. The par-3 No. 13 will be played over a 214-yard distance.

Others tipped to contend for top honors this week are Amber Bosworth, Paige Crawford, Ginger Howard and Caroline Hwang of the US, Japanese Yuna Arakawa, Mexico’s Nicole Autrique, French Elodie Chapelet, Colombia’s Maria Donado, and Canadians Josee Doyon and Kate Johnston and Chinese Simin Feng.

Next up for Arevalo is the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana Open at the National Golf Club in Westlake on March 15-18 before WAPT action shifts to Texas for the Mackie Construction Pro Golf Classic on April 5-8 at the Abilene Country Club in Abilene and the Wichita Falls Championship on April 12-15 in Wichita Falls.

Del Rosario, meanwhile, tries to recover from a missed cut stint in last week’s Florida’s Natural Charity Classic as she vies in the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic on March 17-20 at the Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona.