Ching Huang of Chinese Taipei ruled the ICTSI Philippine Ladies Masters with a closing 66 on Friday at the Summit Point in Lipa City, Batangas.
Huang, unleashing a stunning four-birdie blitz in the opening five holes, finished with a commanding 11-under-par 205 total over 54 holes to secure the USD30,000 top prize.
“I’m really happy because I didn’t expect to win here again,” the 30-year-old Huang said claiming a fifth career title and a first since topping the 2018 ICTSI Champion Tour at Tagaytay Midlands by four strokes.
“I just did my best in the first round and told myself that if I could sustain my game, I had a chance to become champion. Everything just clicked. With so many strong players in the field, I knew I had to play well to win,” she added.
South Koreans Jeonghyeon Kang and Yeonseo Hwang came up with birdies on the par-5 14th to close within three, but Huang carded a birdie of her own on the next hole.
Huang scored another birdie on the 17th, matching the tournament-best six-under card posted by Yunseo Lee in the first round.
“I was nervous. I just focused on keeping my tempo, taking it one shot at a time, and trying to match how I played in the second round,” said Huang.
Kang birdied the final two holes to salvage a 71 and finish solo second at 209, while Jisun Kang posted a 69 to tie Yunseo Lee (70) and Hwang (71) for third at 210.
Daniella Uy matched par-72 to finish as the best Filipina performer, placing joint 12th at 216, although her result fell short of Pauline del Rosario’s joint fourth-place finish in last year’s edition of the event at The Country Club.
Chanelle Avaricio fought back with a 69 to tie for 24th at 219, while Princess Superal carded a 72 for joint 34th at 221, and Del Rosario (73), Mafy Singson (76) and Sarah Ababa (77) tied for 37th with 222 totals. (PNA)
