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Manalo pulls off stunning win in RP Ladies Open
Written by staff   
Saturday, 17 January 2009 05:00

Louise Manalo carded a closing one-over-par 73 as she steamrolled through the international field to win her first major tournament at the 47th ICTSI-Philippine Ladies Amateur Open Championship on Friday held at the Manila Southwood’s Legends course in Carmona, Cavite.

Manalo, who placed 13th in last year in the annual tournament organized by Women’s Golf Association of the Philippines, completed the 54-hole tournament with a three-day aggregate of 218.

She scored on five birdies, mostly from inside six feet, except on No. 9 where she holed a long 16-footer.

Manalo said putting accounted for a large portion of her victory. Her birdie binge began on the second hole as she canned an easy two-and-a-half feet birdie putt. The next one came on No. 6 from about four feet then ended the initial half with another on No. 9.

Her steady play continued on to the 11th where she gunned down a four-foot birdie putt where she was at four-under at this point. And when she reached the tee mound of No. 12, she knew that a stable-par finish would do the job.

But, things did not get better for her. Disaster struck on the 12th – a double bogey to be exact – as she blasted out of the right bunker twice. Although she did some damage control with a birdie on No. 14, she bogeyed Nos. 15 and 17 then missed the green on No. 18 and another dropped shot.

“It is hard to describe how happy I am right now," the 16-year-old ICTSI team member Manalo said after her win.

Dottie Ardina (76) of ICTSI and Lee Shine of Korea (76) ended at joint second with 221 each. Second round leader Lee Jeong-hwa (78) succumbed to pressure and was a further shot back with 222, for a share of third with Sinhyo Choi (72) of Eagle Ridge.

Dethroned champion Chihiro Ikeda had a two-over-par 74 for a 229 total. She was totally out-of-sync for the week but she’s still happy because Manalo, her ICTSI teammate, succeeded her on the podium.

Meanwhile, Riviera’s Princess Superal captured the Class A division plum with a closing three-over-par 75 for a 236 total. Korean Lee Ji-Yeon from Subic Golf checked in at second with 76-240 followed by East Ridge’s Ann Therese Sabater with 80-243.

Cho Hae-sun of Manila Southwoods topped Class B after an 80 for 248. Indonesian Victory Chandra Tijong was runner-up with 87-249 while Kim Gi-min, also of Southwoods, was at third spot with 80-256.
 
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