Ardina, Guce seek LPGA berths in Epson Championship

MANILA, Philippines – Dottie Ardina and Clariss Guce begin their chase for the coveted LPGA Tour cards, while Abby Arevalo and Pauline del Rosario seek to put up a strong finish to an otherwise mediocre Epson Tour campaign in the Epson Tour Championship firing off Thursday in Florida (Friday, Manila time).

Though Ardina and Guce are way down at Nos. 21 and 23 in the current Ascensus Race for the (LPGA) card — with the Top 10 after this event to clinch spots in the next season of the world’s premier ladies circuit, a victory in the $250,000 season-ending championship could net one of them the coveted berth.

Ardina has made the cut 14 times in 15 Epson Tour events she spiked with a breakthrough victory in the Copper Rock Championship in Utah last April. The ICTSI-backed shotmaker has split time between the LPGA and the Epson Tour but would want nothing more to clinch her LPGA card and improve her status for the 2023 season.

She has currently earnings of $56,182 with the No. 10 ranked player, American Alexa Pano, toting $75,278 in winnings. The winner this week will pocket $37,500.

The US-based Guce, a two-time Epson Tour winner, has $51,526 in winnings with three Top 5 finishes in 19 tournaments.  

But Ardina will have her hands full after drawing a late tee-start at 1:03 p.m. with Aussie Robyn Choi and American Daniela Iacobelli on No. 1 of the LPGA International’s Jones Course in Daytona Beach.

Guce also drew a slot in the afternoon wave at 1:14 p.m. with Paraguay’s Milagros Chaves and Chinese Xiaowen Yin on No. 10.

Arevalo, meanwhile, sets out against Mexico’s Alejandra Llaneza and defending champion Prima Thammaraks of Thailand at 1:36 p.m. on No. 1, while ICTSI teammate del Rosario mixes it up with Swede Elin Arvidsson and Thai Pinyada Kuvanun at 1:47 p.m., also at the frontside of the par-71 layout.

Arevalo is at No. 86 in the rankings with a tied for fourth finish in the Guardian Championship her best in 13 events marred by six missed cuts while del Rosario, a one-time winner on the Women's All Pro Tour, is at No. 110, posting a best tied for 12th effort in the Four Winds Invitational in a 16-event campaign littered with 11 failed attempts to the final round.