World Ladies Champpionship: J-Ro opens with 70 at Mission Hills

A pumped up LPGA star Jennifer Rosales scored an inspiring two-under-par 70 at the Mission Hills to be on joint 16th place and undermine her readiness for a solid show at the start of the inaugural $600,000 World Ladies Championship in Haikou, China. Rosales rattled off four birdies, with two first two happening on Holes No. 1 and 4. The next two, on the ninth and 12th, were the most crucial as those negated the two-time LPGA champion’s consecutive bogeys on the fifth and sixth for nines of 37-33. All else were regulation pars. Guangzhou bet Shan Shan-feng and Italy's Diana Luna each carded a six-under-par 66 to lead the way in the professional division. Shan, China's No. 12 player, delighted the home crowd with seven birdies and only one bogey while Luna bucked a two-over card with an eagle and seven birdies against one more bogey for a 36-30 start. In the amateur side, Rosales' teammate Dottie Ardina of the ICTSI golf squad finished the first round of the 54-hole tournament with a one-over-par 73 as she trailed Taiwanese Yi Chen-liu's 70 in the Ladies European Tour and China LPGA Tour co-sanctioned event. Ardina, priming up for her Queen Sirikit Cup defense next month, failed to get going with a slew of pars in the first eight holes, dropped a stroke at the par-5 No. 9 then mixed birdies on Nos. 12 and 15 with bogeys on Nos. 14 and 16 for a 73 and way down in joint 48th. Rosales and Ardina, however, fell by eight in team play with a 142 aggregate, way off the 134 pooled by Feng and Li Ying Ye, who posted a two-stroke lead over Taiwanese Candie Kung and Amy Hung, who shot 67 and 69, respectively. The Championship features a unique three-in-one format with players competing as individuals as well as in teams. There are three categories—individual pros, individual amateurs and pro teams. — Adrian Flores/JVP, GMA News