Thai Kawinpakorn beats RP bet Ikeda in match play event

Thailand’s Yupaporn Kawinpakorn avenged her Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) defeat to Filipino-Japanese Chihiro Ikeda with a 2 up triumph over her friend and rival, a win that earned her a finals slot in the in the Philippine Amateur Golf Championship. Yupaporn, who placed second to Ikeda in the 2009 Laos SEA Games, fended off the Filipina-Japanese’s challenge in the last two holes and needed a long-birdie putt to survive the day in the afternoon match play to earn a spot in the 36-hole championship duel. Ikeda came charging back at the 17th to reduce the lead to one. She made a good drive and approach shots to setup a birdie putt. However, Kawinpakorn beat her to the punch and scored on her version of a birdie which ended the match. The former national amateur in Thailand will battle petite Cebuana Irina Gabasa, who beat Andrea Unson, 5 & 3, and later on, Anya Tanpinco, 2 & 1, at the tricky par-72 course of the Del Monte Golf Club in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon. Kawinpakorn, in the morning match play, cruised to a 3 & 2 triumph over Eva Minoza to set up a semis meeting with Ikeda. In men's competition, hometown bet Clyde Mondilla hammered out an upset of top seed Mhark Fernando, 1 up, in the initial quarterfinals match. He went on to the finals by beating another local, Julius Bautista, 2 up. "I never got intimidated against Fernando. The crowd which watched me and was behind me and that gave me a boost," said Mondilla, 16. Bautista almost made it to the finale. He, too, axed No. 2 seed Jhonel Ababa, 1 up. His local counterpart, though, was tougher in the afternoon. Junior golfer Miguel Tabuena is up next for Mondilla. Tabuena, 15, went 4 & 2 off Gio Gadionco of Cebu then disposed Peter Villaber 2 & 1. Iggy Clavecilla and Nonoy Dulfo will meet in the senior's final match play also tomorrow. – Adrian Flores, GMANews.TV