Golf: PHL bet Ardina eyes 4th straight crown, defense of Queen Sirikit Cup title

Philippine bet Dottie Ardina, with three straight titles under her belt, is hoping to bring her wonderful shot-making in Singapore where she'll defend her individual title in the 34th Asia-Pacific Ladies Invitational Golf Team Championship, or the Queen Sirikit Cup, beginning on April 25 at the Tanah Merah Country Club. Ardina, in last year's Queen Sirikit Cup, came through with a two-under-par 70 in the final round for a 211 which gave the 18-year-old bet a one-stroke victory over Hyo Joo-kim of Korea. This year, she'll be gunning for back-to-back successes, something which has not been recorded in the Queen Sirikit's rich tournament history. Japan's Miki Oda (1980 and 1982) and Korea's Han Hee-won (1994 and 1996) were two-time winners but not consecutively. "That would be a great feat if I can achieve it. It will be a fitting end since I might be playing in my last Queen Sirikit Cup," said Ardina. Jayvie Agojo, Lovelyn Guioguio and Princess Superal—who just won the Junior World Championship national qualifying tournament at Manila Southwoods over the weekend—will be Ardina's teammates. They'll be mentored by national coach Bong Lopez. Women’s Golf Association of the Philippines (WGAP) president Rio Co is optimistic that the quartet will finally nail the country's first team win in the Queen Sirikit Cup. "We have a formidable team," said Co. A runner-up finish last year is the closest the Philippines has ever reached featuring the triumvirate of Ardina, Agojo and newly-turned pro Chihiro Ikeda. The trio lost by four strokes against the Koreans. — Adrian Flores/JVP, GMA News