Del Rosario, Superal kick off drive in AsPac Cup golf tourney

MANILA, Philippines – Pauline del Rosario takes time out from her hectic Epson Tour campaign as she links up with Princess Superal to spearhead the Philippines’ title drive in the Asia Pacific Golf Platform 2022 beginning Thursday in Indonesia.

World No. 4 Lydia Ko of New Zealand and Korean world No. 8 Hyo Joo Kim headline the elite 20-team cast with the former teaming up with Momoka Kobori and the latter partnering with You Min Hwang in the 54-hole championship spread over three days.

Del Rosario posted a career-best joint 12th place finish in the LPGA Tour’s farm league in the Four Winds Invitational in Indiana over the weekend and headed straight to Indonesia to team up with Superal at the Pondok Indah Golf Course.

The ICTSI-backed aces have played the par-72 layout during their amateur days and are expected to contend both in team play and individual competitions of the event, which drew 16 countries and a maximum of 40 players.

South Korea, Japan, Thailand and the host are fielding in two teams each. Others in the fold are New Zealand, Australia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Taiwan, India, the US, Hong Kong and Vietnam.

Superal, meanwhile, is coming off a grueling campaign in Thailand, finishing joint runner-up in the SAT-TWT Road to World Ranking Championship in Phetchaburi. The multi-titled shotmaker also yielded a Thai LPGA crown in sudden death while turning in a number of Top 10 finishes.

That should make her hungry for recognition as Superal and del Rosario kick off their bid against Hong Kong’s Tiffany Chan and amateur Virginie Ding at 7:15 a.m. on the first hole.

Thailand, meanwhile, has two tough teams in Aunchisa Utama and Jaravee Boonchant, and Patcharajutar Kongkraphan and Saraporn Chamchoi, who launch their drive at 7:45 a.m. on both nines against Korea Team 2 So Yeon Ryu and Bomme Lee, and Chinese-Taipei’s Cheng Hsuan Shih and Hsuan Ping Chang, respectively.

Focus will also be on the Japanese and Aussie players along with Americans Yealimi Nok and Eimi Koga while Japan is banking on Kokone Sakurai and Maria Shinohara and former British Women’s Open winner Hinako Shibuno and amateur Kiriko Shibuno.

Ko and Kim's teams, however, duel in an early clash of the fancied teams at 8:15 a.m., also on No. 1.