Ardina settles for runner-up honors in WWGA meet

MANILA, Philippines - Filipina amateur star Dottie Ardina’s whirlwind ride came to a stop on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) but not after gaining the respect of fellow participants in the Women’s Western Golf Association (WWGA). Ardina nearly forced an extension in the grueling 36-hole match play competition with American Taylore Karle but dropped a stroke on the 35th that allowed the Arizona native to escape with a 2 and 1 victory in the 109th National Amateur Championship at the Shawnee Country Club in Lima, Ohio. “It was such a long and tiring day really for both us. One had to give way and it was unfortunate that it had to be me," the 15-year-old Ardina said in an e-mail. But Ardina’s performance didn’t go unnoticed, though. Karle herself gave credit to Ardina for making her push herself to the limits in the finale. “She’s a very good golfer. She may not be as tall as me but she packs a lot of wallop in her game. She consistently went to the top before out match up," said the statuesque Karle. Ardina had put up a solid performance since the 36-hole stroke play qualifiers, entering the match play stage as the No. 3 seed. She dumped local bet Lauren Ellerman, 4 and 2, then Wisconsin’s Erin Sharpee in the quarterfinals, 5 and 4, and North Carolina’s Abby Bools in the semifinals, 3 and 2 en route to the title duel with Karle. Fighting for honors is nothing new to Ardina, who had won her age group in the U.S. Kids World Golf Championships from 2002 through 2006 as well as the Calloway Junior World Championships in 2006 and 2008. Prior to her WWGA campaign, Ardina ruled the 2009 Philippines Amateur Open Championship. - GMANews.TV