Golf: Rosales places eighth in her Ladies Asian Golf Tour debut

Jennifer Rosales finished tied for eighth in her first tournament outside of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour at the close of the 25th Thailand Ladies Open, won by local bet Srisawang Nontaya at the Lakewood Country Club in Bangkok, Thailand.                 Srisawang had a nine-under-par 207 overall, counting her final round seven-under-par 65, which is a new course record and the lowest score posted in the kickoff leg of the Ladies Asian Golf Tour. Rosales zoomed to a five-under total and found herself suddenly challenging for the title after she birdied on the first, fourth and seventh holes, negating a bogey on the second.   But the 33-year-old LPGA star then groped for form and accounted for three bogeys in three of the first holes on the back nine.  The two-time LPGA champion came through with a birdie on the 15th, a par five, to salvage an even par 72 for a 54-hole total of 213. Rosales was joined by Thais Thidapa Suwannapura and Plucksataporn Titiya, plus amateur Pinrath Loonboonruang at eighth spot. One rung lower than Rosales was compatriot Chihiro Ikeda.  The 20-year-old former gold medalist in the 2009 Laos Southeast Asian Games found herself at 12th place with a 72 for 214, a top-20 in the ranking in an impressive pro debut, much to the delight of her coach Bong Lopez. Dottie Ardina, also mentored by Lopez at the ICTSI golf camp, came up with a 72 for 216, good for a share of 16th with two others.  Overall, she wound up as runner-up in the race for the low amateur medal. - AMD, GMA News