IKEDA EYES THREE-PEAT
Foiled in her two first tournaments in the season, SEA Games gold medalist Chihiro Ikeda hopes to make it this time as she top-bills the ladies roster in the WWWExpress-DHL National Amateur Golf Championship she has dominated the last two years.
Ikeda romped away with a whopping 11-stroke win over ICTSI teammate and former two-time national champion Anya Tanpinco last year where she shared honors with Singaporean Quincy Quek, who outdueled Ferdie Aunzo in a classic six-hole playoff for the men’s title.
She also won in 2008.
But Ikeda, 18, is expected to encounter stiff resistance in the 15th staging of the annual event sponsored by WWWExpress and DHL slated Feb. 9-12 at Canlubang Golf and Country Club’s north course.
For one, there is Dottie Ardina, who has opted to extend her stay here for two weeks before resuming her studies in Florida. Like Ikeda, the 15-year-old Ardina fell short of her bid in the recent Philippine Ladies Amateur Open ruled by fellow ICTSI golf scholar Cyna Rodriguez and in The Country Club Invitational where she yielded the low amateur honors to reigning national champion and ICTSI-Canlubang bet Mhark Fernando.
Meanwhile, deadline for registration is set on Feb. 5 at 5 p.m., according to the organizing National Golf Association of the Phils. Fee is pegged at P2,500 for men and P2,000 for women, inclusive of a practice round on Feb. 8. For details, contact NGAP at (02) 5179778/5577849 or fax (02) 706-5926 or e-mail at ngapgolf@hotmail.com or Cangolf office at (049) 549-1363.
Also tipped to crowd Ikeda, Ardina and Tanpinco in the title hunt in the 54-hole tournament are Gerie Leen Handog of Alabang and Matet Salivio of Aguinaldo plus a host of other talented players from the various golf clubs in the land.
The chase for top honors in the men’s side of the event put up by WWWExpress chair Rod Feliciano is also expected to be fierce with Fernando heading the cast that includes ICTSI-TCC mainstays Tonlits Asistio II, Peter Villaber and former champion Rufino Bayron and ICTSI-Cangolf’s Jhonnel Ababa.
Others in the fold are Seung Geun Kim of Forest Hills, Alta Vista’s Angelo Gadionco, Eagle Ridge’s Lawrence Celestino, Jonar Austria of Lake Wood Golf and Country Club and Sudirman of Indonesia.