Ikeda chases first pro win at ICTSI Orchard

CHIHIRO Ikeda resumes her quest for a breakthrough pro win when the P750,000 ICTSI Orchard Golf Championship of the Philippine Ladies Golf Tour tees off Monday at the complex’ Player course in Dasmariñas, Cavite.

After a dominant amateur career, Ikeda has failed to even come close to winning at the next level, and she gets another chance in a field that doesn’t have the big guns like Cyna Rodriguez and Dottie Ardina.

Ikeda won a Southeast Asian Games gold medal in 2009 in Laos and was untouchable as an amateur.

With the fancied bets playing overseas, focus is actually on a handful of amateurs led by South Korea’s Hwang Min-jeong as they try to keep a pro from winning for the third straight tournament.

Bernice Olivares-Ilas ruled Beverly Place leg in Pampanga before Yuka Saso triumphed at Eagle Ridge last month.

Hwang will actually be shooting to win a second leg in the fledging pro tour.

Filipino-American Cristina Corpus, Jayvie Agojo and Sarah Ababa, former leg winners, are the other pros tipped to contend heavily. 

Ikeda will play alongside Eva Miñoza and Ashia  Nocum at 10:30 a.m. Musong R. Castillo