Pauline del Rosario hopes to stay hot at the rolling Midlands layout as she shoots for a second straight victory against practically the same field she dominated the last time out when the ICTSI Tagaytay Midlands Ladies Challenge is fired off Wednesday in Tagaytay City.
The former Ladies Philippine Golf Tour Order of Merit winner snapped a run of so-so finishes with a whopping 14-shot victory over Daniella Uy in the ICTSI Royal Northwoods Classic last month, making her the top pick in the upcoming 54-hole championship offering a total prize fund of P750,000.
But she remains wary of her rivals, who are all coming into the event ready and raring to stop the former Philippine Ladies Amateur Open titlist following a stint in the just-concluded National Pro-Am at the nearly Taal Splendido Golf Club.
Uy, for one, is out to atone for her and brother Lanz’s foldup in the Pro-Am where they took the second round lead only to crumble in the last day and wound up joint fourth.
But the setback is expected to toughen up the former Junior World champ as she guns for her breakthrough victory in the circuit put up by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.
Others tipped to contend are Alex Etter, Apple Fudolin, Gretchen Villacencio, Marvi Monsalve, Sarah Ababa, Sheryl Villasencio and Lucy Landicho.
Multi-titled Chihiro Ikeda is also in the fold, confident of ending a long title spell coming off a slight injury that has hampered her campaign in the last few tournaments.
Boosting the cast are some of the country’s leading amateurs, led by Eagle Ace Superal, who placed third in last week’s Asia-Pacific Junior Championship in Singapore, along with Nicole Abelar, Laia Barro, Mafy Singson, Sam Dizon and Arnie Taguines of Team The Country Club, Pam Mariano and Koreans Tae Yon Kwon and Yeun Jea Baek.
A number of Thai aces have also confirmed participation in the event backed by Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, K&G Golf Apparel, BDO, Sharp, KZG, PLDT, Empire Golf and Sports and M.Y. Shokai Technology, Inc. with the compact field to test the Midlands course in tomorrow’s pro-am.
