Del Rosario, Arevalo eye big bounce-back in North Carolina golf tourney

MANILA, Philippines – Pauline del Rosario and Abby Arevalo resume their Epson Tour campaign, eager to rebound from a string of so-so finishes with solid effort in the Carolina Golf Classic firing off Thursday at the Kinston Country Club in Kinston, North Carolina (Friday, Manila time).

The Pinay shotmakers have struggled trying to find their rhythm and touch in pursuit of at least a crack at a breakthrough but they remain hopeful of putting it all together this week in one of the few 72-hole championships in the LPGA Tour’s farm league calendar.

Arevalo, a former Philippine Ladies Open champion and a one-time winner on the Cactus Tour, drew Thai Pinyada Kuvanun and Ginger Howard of the US in the 8:58 a.m. flight on No. 10, while ICTSI teammate del Rosario, the first Filipina to win on the LPGA of Taiwan Tour in 2017, faces a tougher challenge in the afternoon wave. 

Del Rosario, who won the Central Arkansas Open of the Women's All Pro Tour last year, starts at 12:42 p.m.on the first hole with Carley Cox of the US and Chanokran Angurasaranee, also of Thailand.

Also in the full-packed 144-player field is US-based and two-time Epson Tour leg winner CXlariss Guce, who slugs it out with Thai Jaravee Boonchant and Korean Min-G Kim at 8:14 a.m. on No. 1.

Arevalo missed the cut in the Garden City Charity Classic in Kansas last April, tied for 53rd in the IOA Golf Classic and ended up at joint 55th in the Inova Mission Championship, both in Florida, last month.

Del Rosario had a more decent showing, sharing 15th place in the IOA Classic and winding up joint 21st in the Inova Mission event.

Headlining this week’s event are Americans Karen Chung, Lori Adams and Auston Kim, along with Chinese Miranda Wang, Mohan Du and Yue Ren, Aussies Grace Kim and Hira Naveed, Jessica Porvasnik and Sam Wagner also of the US, Fernanda Torres of Puerto Rico and Emma Broze of France.