Pauline, Cyna banner Pinay aces

LIPA City – Pauline del Rosario takes a break from her hectic China and Taiwan LPGA Tour campaign as she and former three-time Order of Merit winner Cyna Rodriguez spearhead the local challenge against the crack Thailand side in The Women’s Championship beginning today at the Summit Point Golf and Country Club here.

The Thais have ruled four of the first eight legs of this year’s Ladies Philippine Golf Tour, including three winners – Yupaporn Kawinpakorn, Supakchaya Pattaranakrueang and Onkanok Soisuwan – who are in the huge 41-player roster slugging it out for top honors in the R1.5 million championship sponsored by ICTSI.

But Del Rosario and Rodriguez vowed to dish out their best and stop the country’s perennial regional rivals’ domination of the circuit with the former coming into 54-hole event brimming with confidence and the latter out to snap a string of heartbreak finishes in the Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.-organized circuit she used to dominate.

The 26-year-old Kawinpakorn, who won at Beverly Place last January, looms as player to beat following her victory in the China LPGA Zhuhai Heritage in Guangdong last weekend.

Del Rosario and Kawinpakorn actually get to size each other up early as they are paired with amateur Mafy Singson in the featured 7:40 a.m. flight with Rodriguez drawing Soisuwan, winner of the last LPGT stop at Mt. Malarayat last month, and another Thai Cristawan Rungruang at 8:30 a.m.