CYNA Rodriguez seeks to grab a piece of ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour history starting today when the Wack Wack leg tees off at the well-manicured West course in Mandaluyong.
Rodriguez will try to win her first two events as a professional and duplicate what Dottie Ardina did in the first two legs of the fledgling circuit
But she would have to do it against a tougher field after Chihiro Ikeda, the long-hitting Japan Tour veteran, and the debuting Mia Piccio joined the lean field vying for the P100,000 top prize.
Rodriguez, who had a decorated amateur career that saw her win the Philippine Ladies title once, blew the field away in the Eagle Ridge stop at the Aoki course in Cavite last month, winning by eight shots over a badly outclassed Jayvie Agojo.
And with Ikeda and Piccio in the field, it could all boil down to being a three-cornered race with Agojo listed as the darkhorse capable of pulling off a surprise and nailing a breakthrough pro victory.
“It would be nice and sweet if I can win again,” the well-built Rodriguez said. “But with Mia and Chihiro around, it would be tougher. It will be a fun and competitive week with them in the field.”
Piccio, the Bacolod native who went to the University of Florida, will be taking a mean form into the 54-hole event, having easily qualified to the second round of the LPGA Qualifier in the United States and contending for tournament honors.
Another dangerous entry in the field is amateur Princess Superal, the teener who has shown that she has the game to contend against the pros.
Superal finished second in the Country Club leg and third at Canlubang.
Ikeda, meanwhile, will be seeing action in the circuit for the first time since finishing second by eight shots to Ardina at Canlubang in Laguna.