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Dottie Ardina of the Philippines plays her shot from the eighth tee during the second round of The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican 2024 at Pelican Golf Club on November 15, 2024 in Belleair, Florida.
Cliff Hawkins / Getty Images / AFP
MANILA, Philippines — Dottie Ardina overcame a shaky start and closed strong with two birdies in her last five holes, rescuing a one-under 71 to stay in contention at the Reliance Matrix Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada.
But she stood six shots behind co-leaders Amelia Williamson and Amelia Garvey after the opening round of the Epson Tour event at the Spanish Trail Country Club course.
Fresh off a final-round 65 and a third-place tie at the IOA Championship in California last week, Ardina faced early struggles, yielding strokes on Nos. 10 and 14 — where she began her round.
She bounced back with birdies on Nos. 17 and 1 but slipped again with another bogey on No. 14. Undeterred, she regrouped with birdies on Nos. 5 and 7, but missed key opportunities on the final two par-5s to settle for a 37-34 score.
Despite the late push, Ardina, whose campaign is backed by ICTSI, finished the day tied for 38th, six strokes adrift of Williamson and Garvey, who each posted sizzling 65s to top the leaderboard of the 72-hole tournament.
England’s Williamson turned in a flawless 33-32 round, highlighted by three birdies on the front nine and capped by an eagle, while New Zealand’s Garvey matched her score with a 31-34 effort that included an eagle on No. 11 and six birdies, offsetting bogeys on Nos. 13 and 7.
Close behind the leaders are Yue Ren from China, Frenchwoman Agathe Laisne and Crystal Wang of the US, who each shot 66s to sit just one shot back.
Meanwhile, Ardina’s ICTSI teammate Pauline del Rosario battled through three back-nine bogeys and managed to salvage a 73, placing her in a tie for 66th alongside 15 others, including Filipina Sam Bruce, recent champion of the Ladies PGT Pradera Verde leg. They are one shot below the projected even-par cutline.
Clariss Guce, another US-based Filipina and two-time Epson Tour winner, struggled to a 75 after a double bogey on her opening hole. Despite a brief surge with three straight birdies, further bogeys on Nos. 6 and 9 left her in danger of missing the cut, along with Tomita Arejola, who ballooned to a 79.
On the LPGA Tour, Bianca Pagdanganan and Yuka Saso both faced tough battles to make the weekend cut at the $3-million Black Desert Championship in Ivins, Utah.
Pagdanganan, who started on the back nine at Black Desert Resort, opened with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 12 and 13. However, a bogey on No. 16 and a double bogey on the 17th halted her momentum.
Her round unraveled further on the front nine, where additional bogeys and a closing double on the par-5 ninth left her with a 77 (37-40), tied for 131st. She now needs to shoot in the low 60s in Round 2 to stay in the hunt.
Saso, also backed by ICTSI, carded a 74 (36-38) to land in joint 109th. Starting on No. 10, she birdied the 13th and 18th but dropped shots on Nos. 16, 17, 6, and a double bogey on No. 7 dashed hopes of a clean round.
Korean Haeran Ryu took the solo lead with a bogey-free 63 (31-32), bolstered by nine birdies. Hot on her heels are Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn and Taiwan’s Wei Ling Hsu, both with 64s, while Germany’s Esther Henseleit heads a group of six tied for fourth after a 65.
