Miaoli County, Taiwan—Daniella Uy put on one big surge midway through the final round to pull within two but hobbled when it mattered most, finishing with a four-under 68 for joint fourth in the Party Ladies Golfers Open won by Hsieh Yu Ling at the National Golf and Country Club here yesterday.
Nine shots behind Hsieh after 36 holes, Uy broke a run of pars with a six-under feat in a seven-hole stretch from No. 5, spiking her stirring rally with an eagle on the par-5 No. 7 and sparking hopes for the Filipina shotmaker to pull off one of the most incredible comebacks in both the TLPGA (LPGA of Taiwan) and Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.
But after moving within two off the local ace five flights behind the championship group with back-to-back birdies from No. 10, Uy bogeyed the 12th then dropped another stroke on the par-5 13th, falling behind by four again and settling for pars the rest of the way.
The former Junior World titlist actually closed within three after her last bogey as Hsieh, who struggled with a frontside 37, bogeyed the 10th but the TLPGA’s No. 7 ranked player toughened and closed out with a birdie-bogey game in the last eight holes, her closing 74 proving enough to hold off compatriot Ching Ling Chang for a one-stroke victory in the $100,000 event backed by ICTSI and co-sanctioned by the LPGT, the TLPGA and Party Golfers for the second straight year.
Hsieh assembled a 54-hole total of 209, anchoring her title drive with a bogey-free 66 in the second round and took the top $17,500 purse. Chang closed out with a 70 for second at 210 while Chiu Ling Ti completed the locals’ podium sweep with a 211 after a similar 70.
Hovering at joint 15th in the early going of the final round, Uy made her move with a birdie on the par-3 No. 5 from, eagled No. 7 and added another birdie on the next, another par-3 hole.
After a two-putt par on the ninth, Uy resumed her birdie hunt and netted her another couple of feats on the first two holes at the back. But as she got closer to the leader, the pressure mounted, missing the green on No. 12 which she birdied in the second round.
She failed to check her skid, bogeying the next hole before closing out with pars to close out her campaign in the fourth LPGT tournament featured on the TLPGA calendar this year after The Country Club Invitational, the Manila Golf Ladies Masters and the ICTSI Pradera Ladies Classic.
Despite her late meltdown, Uy proved her worth as a future title contender, her 32-36 card netting her a spot at No. 4 at 212 with Thai Chayanun Chonlada, who rallied with a 66, Ching Huang, who also fought back with a 68 and fellow Taiwanese Kuo Ai Chen, who carded a 70 and amateur Chia Ju Yeh, who shot a 71.
Pauline del Rosario, who clinched the LPGT Order of Merit title in her rookie season in 2017, blew a two-under card with a bogey and double-bogey in the last six holes at the front, ending up with a 73 and dropping to joint 29th at 219.
Rookie pro Chanelle Avaricio also made a 73 and wound up tied at 40th at 221 at the close of the seventh season of the LPGT backed by Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, K&G Golf Apparel, BDO, Sharp, KZG, PLDT, Empire Golf and Sports and M.Y. Shokai Technology Inc