Golf: Jennifer Rosales begins Ladies Asian Golf Tour stint in Thailand

Jennifer Rosales arrived in Bangkok Sunday, just in time to prepare early for the 25th Thailand Ladies Open, the kick-off leg of the Ladies Asian Golf Tour (LAGT), which starts Wednesday in Thailand.                  But just before teeing off for the chase in the $150,000 LAGT tournament, she’ll be practicing the Lakewood Country Club course on Tuesday when she competes in the pro-am side event.                  The Thailand Ladies Open is the first official tournament on the 2012 Ladies Asian Golf Tour which will include eight to ten events to be played in Thailand, Japan, China, Indonesia, Taiwan and India.                  The 33-year-old Rosales is taking her game to LAGT, in lieu of her Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) career, where she has two wins.  This time, she wants to make it big in Asia.                  “I’ll be busy in the LAGT for a while.  I’m excited to play in the Asian circuit again.  I’m looking forward to a successful stint in this league,” said Rosales.                  Apart from Rosales, she’ll be joined in by Chihiro Ikeda, the rookie pro and former ICTSI golf team stalwart, Heidi Chua, the last woman to win back-to-back in the Philippine Ladies Amateur Open, and amateur Dottie Ardina, who is preparing for her title defense of the Queen Sirikit Cup in April.                  The Thailand Ladies Open will be contested by a maximum field of 131 entries from 16 nationalities, including 6 top amateurs. This year's event promises to be very competitive and colorful with 36 Thais, 32 Japanese, and 29 Koreans being the most in number. Last year's champion Kongkiatkrai Tanaporn of Thailand will be back to defend her title in the $150,000 tournament. - AMD, GMA News