TAIWAN — Filipino heavy-hitters Pauline del Rosario and Daniella Uy are expected to maximize their chances to score and thereby figure prominently in the Party Golfers Ladies Open in Hsinchu country here starting Wednesday, 8 November, at the Lily Golf and Country Club course.
Del Rosario, who has been gearing up for the Q-Series in the following weeks, said she likes her chances in the NT$4-million championship of the LPGA of Taiwan.
“The course is narrow with slow and bumpy greens, a typical Taiwan course. It’s scorable if you can keep your tee shots in play and manage the greens,” Del Rosario said.
“That’s what I’ll be doing this week.”
Del Rosario is no stranger on Taiwan courses, having marked her rookie pro campaign with a victory in the TLPGA and Royal Open at the Royal Kuan-Hsi Golf Club in 2017, thus becoming the first Filipina to win on the lucrative circuit.
She will be bannering a 16-strong delegation from the Ladies Philippines Golf Tour.
Del Rosario drew Ho-Yu An, No. 9 in the current TLPGA Order of Merit ranking, and Thai Ornnicha Konsunthea at 7:50 a.m. on No. 1 of the undulating course carved out of a forest setting and where each hole poses a real test to the competing field, particularly the layout’s signature hole — No. 8.
Uy is the LPGT OOM topnotcher with three victories who placed fourth when the Philippines last competed in this event in 2019.
She is also relying on her long game to fuel her own title drive on the 6,211-yard layout, saying: “It’s a short course, but tight and hilly. If I make a lot of birdies then I’ll get a good score.”
The former Junior World champion is paired with Ting-Yu Chen and Meng-Chu Chen at 7:10 a.m. on the first hole.
The other Filipina bidders in the 103-player roster of the event co-sanctioned by the LPGT are Chanelle Avaricio, Florence Bisera, Harmie Constantino, Mikha Fortuna, Marvi Monsalve, Rev Alcantara, Sarah Ababa, Pamela Mariano and Chihiro Ikeda along with Koreans Seoyun Kim and Ju Young Yang and amateurs Laurea Duque, Lia Duque and Mafy Singson.
Avaricio, toughened up by her recent stint on the Epson Tour, rides with TLPGA No. 7 Li-Ning Wang and top local amateur Ting-Yun Chu at 7:40 a.m. at the backside while Bisera hopes to shake off jitters on her first international stint with Ya-An Yang and Thai Kultida Pramphun at 7:30 a.m., also on No. 10.
Fortuna, who has had a couple of title shots at an LPGT crown in her rookie pro season, hopes to put it all together this week and get into the title mix on Friday, facing amateur Annika Chen and Shiao-Yun Liu at 6:50 a.m., also on No. 10.
Singson, a two-time LPGT winner, is bunched with Erica Huang and TLPGA No. 14 Szu-Han Chen, also at 6:50 a.m. on No. 1.
Focus will also be on Taiwan’s top player, Ya-Chun Chang, who is paired with Thai Parinda Phokan and Ababa at 8:20 a.m. on No. 1, while multi-titled TLPGA campaigner and LPGA Tour veteran PK Kongkraphan opens her bid at the back with local bet Hsin Lee and (Seoyun) Kim.
Constantino, winner of the first Philippine Ladies Masters, faces locals Meng Chen Ku and Yu-Hsun Wang on No. 1 at 7 a.m., while Ikeda, a former LPGT OOM winner, trades shots with Thai Chonlada Chayanun and Taiwan’s No. 3 Cheng-Hsuan Shih at 8:10 a.m. on No. 10.
