Philippines’ Dottie Ardina competes in round 1 of the women’s golf individual stroke play of the Paris Olympics 224 at Le Golf National in Guyancourt, south-west of Paris on August 7, 2024. (Photo by Pierre-Philippe MARCOU / AFP)
Dottie Ardina strode into the Manila Southwoods driving range on Thursday afternoon, her first public appearance ever since the “taped-Philippine flag” snafu caught this traditionally nongolfing country’s attention and had it rallying behind the pocket-sized Canlubang native in the recent Paris Olympics.
She mingled with those who approached her and signed autographs, even posing with members who held up rolls of tape — the inside joke heard around the country.
It was the kind of attention she had never gotten before, one she wished had been under different circumstances.
READ: ‘Embarrassing’ lack of uniforms for PH Olympic golfers angers fans
Perhaps while representing the Philippines again?
“I’d do it all over again, with all my heart,” Ardina told the Inquirer in a chance interview. “Since Day 1 of my junior days, I have been very proud to represent the Philippines. I’d do it until the end of my career.”
The 30-year-old said that her now-viral video, where she expressed dismay over the now controversial uniform snafu while taping the PH flag on her shirt, was borne out of frustration. And that her mom, who was with her in Paris, posted the video because someone from the National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP) told everyone in the team van “to bring it on” when warned that the country’s golf body would be bashed for the lack of team uniforms.
Incidentally, the first time the problem surfaced wasn’t because of the Ardina video but because of a screen grab of teammate Bianca Pagdanganan, whose taped PH flag patch was on the verge of peeling off, which came out on a popular social media page.
READ: Dottie Ardina’s second round proves she belongs at Paris Olympics
“They (NGAP officials) were laughing when that (Pagdanganan screen grab came out),” Ardina said. “Someone asked, ‘what if we get bashed for this?’ and then someone replied ‘bring it on.’”Asked who that person was, Ardina said it was Bones Floro, the executive director of the NGAP who also asked her to take down the video, which gained more than 3,000 views in just 30 minutes.
“I requested [for the video to be taken down,” Floro admitted to the Inquirer. “I was really nice about it. Not denying anything. We have the facts … I asked her nicely over Viber.”
He denied, however, saying “bring it on.”
“I don’t remember saying anything like that,” Floro said. “That’s really bad and I would never say that. I never said anything like that, I am very sure.”
Since 2016
Ardina said that several of her LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) friends were shocked by the sad state of their uniforms in Paris. Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul and Japan’s Yuka Saso, who played as a Filipino in the Tokyo Olympics, were among those who spoke to her, said Ardina, who admitted getting annoyed by the whole incident.
“It was shameful,” she said. “Imagine if our patches fell off at the fairways.”
According to Ardina, Saso spoke of the same problems in Tokyo and both agreed that the NGAP should have taken the lead on the issue, not the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), which was the first to release a statement after Ardina’s video made the rounds on the internet. POC president Bambol Tolentino told the Inquirer as much.
READ: Amid viral golf uniform row, fans seek accountability
“That’s beyond my control,” Tolentino said over the phone. “The POC doesn’t even know what sizes (of apparel) they wear. I told all the [Olympians’ national federations] to make sure that they have their competition uniforms. All of them have been invited to a weekly briefing that was more than two months before [Paris].
“Bottomline is no uniform arrived,” Ardina said.
Swing coach J3 Althea, who was at the driving range during the interview, said that his ward, Miguel Tabuena, was also without a uniform in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, the year that golf was revived in the Olympics.
READ: Pagdanganan narrowly misses medal, Ardina helps PH to impressive finish
Ardina also rued the fact that she and Pagdanganan weren’t even given head covers, balls and gloves to use for the tournament. Even her umbrella, which had logos of Callaway and ICTSI on it, was disallowed based on Paris Olympics protocols.
“That’s why I had to go to Decathlon (in Paris, on the eve of first round), to buy an umbrella,” she said. “And that’s where I got our tournament shirts.”
Floro said he tried to resolve the issue immediately when it became apparent that a delivery hitch marred the arrival of the uniforms.
“Believe it or not, everything was prepared, and then adidas shipped it to Paris,” Floro said. “When I opened the boxes, there was no competition gear. So I immediately called adidas, before the practice round. There were no tops, bottoms, visors, tops, golf shoes. Track suits were there, but no competition gear.”
“The umbrellas, balls, I made an effort to find them for the team,” Floro added. “In Tokyo, head covers [for clubs] were not an issue. But it became an issue in Paris. I tried to look for [an alternative]. But it was useless. Everything had logos.”
The Philippines bucked those problems and came up with its best finish in Olympic golf, with Bianca Pagdanganan finishing a valiant fourth after having. afoot on the podium.
Ardina finished joint 13th, better than reigning world No. 1 Nelly Korda.