Ardina, del Rosario resume Epson Tour campaign

MANILA, Philippines – Halfway through the Epson Tour season, Dottie Ardina steps up her drive for a second victory while Pauline del Rosario resumes her chase for a breakthrough in the Firekeepers Casino Hotel Championship beginning Friday (Saturday, Manila time) at Battle Creek in Michigan.

Ardina has failed to gain a crack at another Epson Tour crown after winning the Copper Rock Championship in Utah last April, ending up tied at 45th at the Garden City Charity Classic, sharing 28th place in the IOA Classic and hobbling to joint 44th in the Twin Bridges Championship.

Though the veteran shotmaker has vied in seven LPGA events this year, her best finish was joint 29th in the ShopRite LPGA Classic in a campaign marred by four missed cuts.

But she gained so much experience in her limited stint in the world’s premier circuit and she hopes to put them in display in the next three days of the $200,000 championship serving as the 13th of the 22-leg Epson Tour.

She kicks off her drive at 8:36 a.m. at the backside of the par-72 Battle Creek Country Club layout with Gina Kim of the US and Taiwanese Ssu-Chia Cheng, one of the three fancied players in the 144-player field.

Del Rosario, meanwhile, hopes to put it all together this week after failing to advance in her last three events in the Carolina Golf Classic, the Ann Arbor’s Road to the LPGA and the Island Resort Championship.

A one-time winner on the Women’s All Pro Tour, del Rosario’s best effort this year was joint 15th in the IOA Golf Classic with the ICTSI-backed shotmaker upbeat of her chances this week after sharpening her skills and game during the break.

She tees off at 8:58 a.m. on the first hole with Thai Pinyada Kuvanun and Kaleigh Telfer of South Africa.

Fil-Am Clariss Guce is also in the fold with the two-time Epson Tour winner, who tied for third in the Island Resort Championship last June, drawing a late start at 1:14 p.m., also on the first hole, with Pavarisa Yoktuan of Thailand and Chinese Weiwei Zhang.

Two other aces are fancied to contend for this week’s crown, including Swede Linnea Strom and Allie White of the US.