Ardina finishes way off in Battle Creek golf tourney

MANILA, Philippines – Dottie Ardina found the going a lot tougher at the back and finished with a 72, ending up joint 38th in the Firekeepers Casino Hotel Championship at Battle Creek ruled by Xiaowen Yin in Michigan Sunday (Monday, Manila time).

Ardina bucked a two-bogey, one-birdie card after three holes with back-to-back birdies from No. 5 but failed to pick up another shot the rest of the way, even yielding one on No. 11 for a 35-37.

She also came up short in the last three par-5s and missed matching her back-to-back 70s for a 212 total at the Battle Creek course.

Yin, meanwhile, notched her first pro win by edging American Gina Kim in sudden death after the duo matched 203s with a pair of closing 68s.

The Chinese, however, pulled through with a massive par-putt on the first playoff hole on No. 18.

Yin actually fought back from two down with five holes to play in regulation but gained a shot with a par on No. 14 then hit back-to-back birdies from the 15th to wrest back the lead.

Kim, however, birdied the 17th to draw level again and the duo headed to the playoff with bogeys on the tough closing hole.

Ardina, meanwhile, hopes to rebound strong in this week’s French Lick Charity Classic, a 72-hole championship at the daunting Pete Dye course in Indiana where ICTSI teammate Pauline del Rosario and US-based Clariss Guce are also seeking to make up for their missed cut stints at Battle Creek.