Del Rosario beefs up LPGT Caliraya casting
PAULINE del Rosario cashes in on the Epson Tour’s three-week break to headline the ICTSI Caliraya Springs Championship field, keen on stirring up play in the P1 million Ladies Philippine Golf Tour event beginning Tuesday (April 18) at the Caliraya Springs Golf Club in Cavinti, Laguna.
Del Rosario marked her LPGT debut in 2017 in dominant fashion, racking up four victories and topping the Order of Merit. She then capped her prolific season with a victory on the LPGA of Taiwan Tour.
While she has had not much success on the LPGA Tour’s farm league where she is a full card holder – with a best tied for 12th effort in last year’s Four Winds Invitational in Indiana – del Rosario hopes to re-calibrate and sharpen her skills in the upcoming LPGT event as she builds up for the next Epson Tour leg, the Copper Rock Championship on April 27-29 in Utah, where ICTSI teammate Dottie Ardina is the defending champion.
“No expectations but I hope to play well and continue to build some momentum when I head back to the US for the Epson Tour,” said del Rosario.
More than the competitive side and enhancing her all-around game, however, del Rosario is using the Caliraya Springs event as a chance to renew her ties with the locals aces, whom she also bested in her last LPGT appearance in 2020 at Riviera in bubble setup.
But she does expect a challenging week with the likes of Bacolod leg champion Chanelle Avaricio, reigning OOM winner Chihiro Ikeda, Harmie Constantino, Daniella Uy, Sarah Ababa and Marvi Monsalve all geared up for a duel of power, iron game and putting on a well-kept course spruced up to championship condition.
While Rianne Malixi won’t be around to shoot for a follow-up to her big win in Iloilo last month, fellow amateurs Lois Kaye Go, Mafy Singson, Laurea Duque all seek to rise to the challenge in all three days of the championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.
A crack five-player Korean crew, made up of Jane Jeong, Kim Seoyun, Kim Minyeong, Yang Juyoung and Hua Nam Eun, is also out to spoil the locals’ bid in the event, which also drew Florence Bisera, Shery Villacencio, Lovelynn Guioguio, Lucy Landicho, Eva Miñoza, Pamela Mariano, Gretchen Villacencio, Kristine Fleetwood, Apple Fudolin and Rev Alcantara.