Filipino teen golfer wins Finnair Masters in Finland

A Filipina teen topped six other amateur golfers in the recently concluded Finnair Masters in Helsinki, Finland. The Department of Foreign Affairs reported on Wednesday that 13-year-old Dottie Ardina was the best amateur player finishing 29th in the rain-drenched tournament. Dottie drew the media’s attention with her bogey-free round on two-under par during the first day of the tournament taking a share of the 11th position, according to the DFA. Despite encountering numerous challenges including “missing golf clubs that did not arrive on time, lost suitcases, and inadequate funds," the youngest competitor in the field was cheered on by fellow Filipinos, including Philippine Ambassador to Sweden Maria Zeneida Angara Collinson. The Finnair Masters is said to be the most prestigious golf event ever held in Finland with a total prize money of €200,000. The tournament closed last September 2. After staying in Finland, Dottie will then fly to Florida where Enrique Razon, Jr. of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) would hand over a full scholarship. The golf prodigy was said to be named after American Dottie Pepper, a 17-time winner in the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour. The ladies European Tour website tagged Dottie as a “star-in-the-making." The list of competitions Dottie has joined includes: the World Junior Golf Championship, the US Kids Golf World Championship, the Indonesia Ladies Amateur Open, and the Hong Kong ladies Open Amateur Golf Championship. Dottie is also the youngest Hole-in-One member of the Presidio Hills Golf Club in San Diego, California. On the other hand, 25-year old Bettina Hauert of Germany emerged as the overall tournament champion. The two-time Ladies European Tour winner carded rounds of 68, 67, and 72 to finish with a six-under par aggregate of 207. - Mark J. Ubalde, GMANews.TV