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Chihiro
Ikeda, Cyna Rodriguez and Regina de Guzman were picked
by the Women’s Golf Association of the Philippines (WGAP)
to represent the Philippines in the Asia-Pacific Ladies
Invitational Golf Team Championship, known as the Queen
Sirikit Cup, in Japan from May 28 to 30.
The
Queen Sirikit Cup is a three-player ladies team
competition among 14 Asian and Australasian countries,
including the Philippines, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand,
New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka.
“I think
we have a formidable team. We’re very excited with the
inclusion of Ikeda, Rodriguez and de Guzman,” WGAP
tournament director Claudine Garcia told the Greenside
Chip Tuesday.
Garcia
said the three amateur stars were picked based on their
performances in the last six months.
Ikeda is
the best logical choice because she won four times—two
local and as many international tournaments. Her most
recent victory came at the DHL WWW-Express Amateur Open
at Canlubang.
“I feel
honored as the No. 1 pick. I’ll do my country proud,”
said Ikeda, one of the mainstays of the International
Containers and Terminal Services Inc. (Ictsi) golf
program under coach Bong Lopez.
Rodriguez has consistently finished inside the top 10 of
the past five events she competed in. Her highlight
victory was the Mission Inn Open, a leg of the Future
Collegians World Tour (FCWT) in Florida.
“I have
already sounded off my school about this matter. In
fact, I am already taking advance lessons to free up my
schedules for May,” the tall 16-year-old Rodriguez said.
The
choice of de Guzman, though, raised a few eyebrows
because she hasn’t been performing quite well recently
as she did in 2007. Still, the petite lass with a mean
swing off the tees will be a great addition to the team,
said Garcia.
RP Open notes
Antonio
Lascuna, one of the few Filipino regular cardholders in
the Asian Tour, shot an even-par 72 and was in the top
four before he unexpectedly withdrew from the British
Open Qualifier last week (Angelo Que earned a slot to
the Open by landing in the top four).
When
Greenside Chip caught up with Lascuna, he explained that
he experienced back pains which prevented him from
executing a smooth swing. “It was so painful I could
not even stand straight. But now, I am fully healed and
ready to go for the Philippine Open,” he said.
Bryan
Saltus of the United States waited for a representative
from the Department of Tourism (DOT), supposedly the
partner of the Asian Tour for the Philippine Open, at
the the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Monday. When
he saw there was none, he proceeded directly to the Wack
Wack Golf and Country Club for his first practice day.
When he
arrived at the club, he did not complain about the
nonappearance of the DOT representative but later
intimated that the taxi fare was so high. “I paid P610
from the Airport to Wack Wack. Although, I kinda
expected that because there’s no cheap airport taxi in
the world now,” he said.
Wack
Wack has appointed Edzel Regalado as the new operations
manager of the Sports and Games Committee headed by
chairman Pablo Soon, who was elected director of the
National Golf Association of the Philippines. |
