8 Thais join Southwoods Ladies golf

SARAPORN Chamchoi heads seven other Thais vying against local aces and a slew of other foreign bets in the Manila Southwoods Ladies Classic firing off next week at Southwoods’ Legends course in Carmona, Cavite.

Saraporn missed joining the ICTSI Wack Wack Ladies Invitational title playoff by one shot last April and tied for third again in the ICTSI Luisita Ladies Challenge last July, making her a top contender in the season-ending tourney of the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.

Other Thais who signed up for the P500,000 tournament are Sarauttaya Ngam-usawan, Mookharin Ladgratok, Wannasiri Sirisampant, Jaruporn Palakawongnaayuttawa, Chayuda Singhsuwan, Chattarat Chatwarrarat and Supakchaya Pattaranakrueang, who tied Saraporn at third at Luisita.

Sherwood leg winner Sarah Ababa leads the local challenge along with former leg champion Jayvie Agojo, Chihiro Ikeda, Apple Fudolin, Lucy Landicho, Eva Miñoza, Anya Tanpinco, Sylvia Torres, Lovelyn Guioguio, Tracy Que, Majorie Pulumbarit and former Philippine Ladies Open winner Heidi Chua.

The 54-hole tournament, set Oct. 27 to 29, serves as the final leg of the eight-stage tour sponsored by International Container Terminal Services Inc., which launched the circuit in 2013.

This season’s kickoff leg, the ICTSI Ladies Open, served as the third leg of the 2015 Asian Ladies Tour which featured a number of foreign players, including Korean Hwang Ye-nah, who edged Princess Superal by one at Southlinks.

Thai Meechai Wichanee ruled the second leg at ICTSI Splendido while Superal nipped two-time Order of Merit champion Cyna Rodriguez in sudden death to snare the Wack Wack title.

Rodriguez rebounded to top the next leg at Riviera and Ababa routed the field at Sherwood to nail her first win in the circuit.