Cyna earns LPGA card
Cyna Rodriguez comfortably secured her Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour card yesterday, firing a final round one-underpar 71 to place tied for fourth on Sunday at the end of a grueling qualifying series in Daytona Beach, Florida.
The final phase of qualifying was played for five rounds and Rodriguez held her own against a very strong international field to become only the second homegrown Filipina player to gain full playing rights in the LPGA, the world’s toughest ladies golf tour.
Jennifer Rosales was the first to enter the LPGA when she secured her card in 2000. She won two LPGA titles. Another player with Filipino blood but who holds dual citizenship, Dorothy Delasin, also played in the LPGA but has since retired.
Rodriguez finished five rounds at 10-under 350. She had earlier rounds of 71-71-70-67 and finished tied with Maude Aimee-LeBlanc of Canada, who also had a clos- ing 71.
Dottie Ardina, the othFilipina in the closed with an for a share of place at 371 and will have to look forward to next year to get another crack at the LPGA.
The top 20 players get full membership to the Tour in 2016 while those finishing 21-45 and ties will earn conditional status.
Rodriguez, who had studied college at University of Southern California, played progressively well as the tournament wore on. She was tied for 35th after the first round, then er field, 81 72nd tied for 18th in the second and tied for 16th after three rounds. Her 67 in the fourth round was the decisive blow that practically gained her full status as she moved to a tie for fourth.
“It’s a dream come true,” said the 24-year-old Rodriguez, a former Philippine Ladies Open champion who also racked up a number of amateur titles here and abroad.
She thanked ICTSI Chairman and President Ricky Razon and Philippine Golf Tour executive director Narlene Soriano, who backed her local and foreign campaigns during her amateur days under the ICTSI golf program that set up the ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.
“It is in the LPGT where I toughened up and gained confidence that I can compete against the best,” said Rodriguez, who dominated the first three editions of the LPGT, winning half of the eight tournaments in 2014 and sweeping the Order of Merit titles.
The former South Australian champion also thanked her parents Cherry and Eli and her coach Bong Lopez, who drew up the program in 2006 to produce world class players.