Ardina to challenge Thai bet for US Girls Junior title

Dottie Ardina of the Philippines and Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand breezed through their quaterfinal and semifinal matches to setup a spirited clash in the 36-hole, match play championship finale of the 63rd US Girls Junior Championship in Olympia Fields, Illinois. Ardina defeated Arkansas' Summar Roachell, 5 and 4, in the morning quarterfinals match, which was delayed by more than two hours due to a heavy downpour that dropped three-quarters of an inch of rain over the dry South course of the Olympia Fields Country Club. In the afternoon, the 17-year-old ICTSI-Philippine team member, stopped Yu Lui of the People's Republic of China, 2 and 1, to arrange a finals showdown with Ariya. Although tired in the last two days, Ardina played more solid this time, a far cry from her victories in round of 32 and 16, which she had to rally in the last few holes to escape elimination. This despite a pair of blistered feet all day Friday (Saturday in Manila). "Coach Bong (Lopez, the PHL national women's coach) told me to put in a lot of effort in making birdies. I missed some today but I'm working on it," Ardina said. "He also told me to take it one hole at a time, not to rush things. That way, I won't commit as much mistakes. As soon as you win the hole, even though you missed the putts, you win the hole. Then, procced to the next tee," she added. Ariya, the stroke play low medalist, dispatched Gabriella Then of California, 1 up, then registered the largest winning margin, 8 and 6, against Amy Lee, also of California. She finished the equivalent of five under par, with the usual match-play concessions. "The pins had not changed (from the morning’s round) and I knew where the pins were. That's why I could make more birdies," said Jutanugarn, who competed in the 2011 US Women’s Open and won the 2011 Rolex Girls Junior Championship." – Adrian Flores/JVP, GMA News