MANILA, Philippines—After nearly two decades, two-time LPGA champion Jennifer Rosales gets to showcase her world-class form before local fans as she headlines the $75,000 ICTSI Ladies Open which gets going Wednesday at Southlinks Golf Club in Las Piñas.
Rosales, on a break from the LPGA Tour, signed up late Sunday, hopeful her presence would further boost local ladies pro golf, which took off a couple of years ago with the ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.
“I’m very happy with the growth of women’s golf in the country and we have Mr. Ricky Razon to thank for that,” said Rosales, referring to the ICTSI chair and CEO.
That makes the five-time Philippine Ladies Open winner a heavy favorite for the crown and the top $15,000 purse in the event presented by Champion Infinity, although a slew of foreign talents will be out to foil her bid as well as the rest of the country’s local aces.
They include Dottie Ardina and Mia Piccio, who are also on a break from the Symetra Tour in the US, along with back-to-back LPGT Order of Merit winner Cyna Rodriguez, Jayvie Agojo, Chihiro Ikeda and amateur Princess Superal.
Rosales, 36, last played on local soil in 1996 during the Espirito Santo Trophy of the World Amateur Golf Championships at Sta. Elena.
She gained exempt status for the LPGA Tour in 2000 by finishing tied for seventh in the LPGA Qualifying in late 1999 and became the first Filipino to win on the LPGA Tour when she ruled the Chic-fil-A Championship in 2004. She pocketed her second LPGA crown the following year at the SBS Open in Hawaii.