Del Rosario posts breakthrough victory at Orchard Ladies

Pauline del Rosario kept her poise and putting touch down the stretch to tally a 1-under 71 and ran away with the ICTSI Orchard Ladies Invitational at Orchard’s Player course in Cavite.

It was the first win in four pro stints for Del Rosario, who warded off an early challenge from Thai Nemittra Juntanaket then coasted to a five-stroke romp over amateur Eagle Ace Superal to erase the memory of a pair of runner-up finishes on late meltdowns, including a playoff loss to Korean Euna Koh at Luisita last April.

Counting her earlier rounds of 73 and 74, the 18-year-old Del Rosario pooled a 2-over 218 and captured the P250,000 top purse in the event sponsored by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

For a while, Del Rosario looked headed for another collapse as Juntanaket moved to within one shot through 11 holes. But while the former Philippine Ladies Open champion netted gutsy pars and a birdie on No. 14, the Thai faltered with a double-bogey on No. 11 and stumbled with four bogeys in the last six holes.

Juntanaket finished with a 77 for 226, enabling the 12-year-old Superal to snatch runner-up honors at 223 after a 73 built around four birdies against three bogeys and a double-bogey.

“I really felt bad losing at Luisita,” said Del Rosario, who pounced on Juntanaket’s three-putt double-bogey on the par-3 11th and pulled away with a six-foot birdie on No. 14. “But I had [a] good week here and so happy to have finally scored a win.”

“The turning point was when Juntanaket made that double-bogey. It was smooth sailing from there,” Del Rosario added.

Alisara Wedchakama bogeyed the last two holes and wound up with a 75 to share third place with Juntanaket.

Superal, the young sister of many-time Ladies Philippine Golf Tour winner and Symetra Tour campaigner Princess, took amateur honors.