Two-leg winners Daniella Uy and Mikha Fortuna are expected to put Velinda Castil to the test on Tuesday’s start of the ICTSI Mimosa Plus Championship at the Mimosa Plus’ Acacia course in Pampanga at the Clark Freeport Zone.
The three are paired at 9 a.m. group on No. 1 with Uy, who scored back-to-back wins at Forest Hills and Del Monte, driven to launch another attempt at a championship after she fell short at the South Pacific Classic last week.
But her runner-up finish in Davao easily makes her an easy favorite in the 54-hole championship, which serves as the final leg of this year’s 10-stage Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.
“Most likely, I’ll rely on my drives to get more chances for birdies kasi Mimosa is wider than South Pacific,” said Uy, who used her length to spike her twin victories that ended a streak of stretch-run meltdowns.
Fortuna is also out to rebound from a final round struggle at South Pacific that saw her limp with a 76 and drop to third after joining eventual winner Florence Bisera at the helm after 36 holes.
Uy is also using the event as part of her buildup for her stint in Stage II of the Japan Qualifying next month.
“If I win again, it will be a big confidence booster for my Japan qualifying bid,” she said.
Meanwhile, Uy and Fortuna’s experience is also likely to bear upon Castil’s game, as the 15-year-old shotmaker vowed to bounce back from a missed cut stint in her first crack at the pros in the South Pacific.
Following an impressive joint runner-up effort in Del Monte, Castil, from Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon, decided to join the pros but cracked under pressure with an 87 after shooting two 73s and a 75 at home.
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