SOMETIMES even small things can be big. Take professional golfer Dottie Ardina. On the day Colin Morikawa won the biggest golf tournament of the year, the PGA Championship, our local girl, competing in a tournament that no one probably knows enough about, secured a berth to play in the women’s British Open.
She did so by tying for 20th place in the LPGA Tour’s Marathon Classic last week. The local press went to town for Ardina, chronicling her four-under-par 67 final round that did the trick for her.
It may seem absurd to mention Morikawa and Ardina in the same breath. One just made history to become a PGA Tour star, the other is still trying to win her first LPGA tournament. While the charismatic American Morikawa, 23, was taking the golf world by storm, our own Ardina was just trying to qualify for the British Open and hoping to whip up a little storm of her own.
Entering the British Open may not seem like a big deal. But winning it, is! And for local golf fans, having a compatriot play in a major golf championship is short of a miracle. After all, the last time a woman golfer from the Philippines played at the British Open was 18 years ago.

That was during the heyday of Jennifer Rosales, who narrowly lost the U.S. Open in 2004 and made a run in the British Open in 2002. Both times she placed fourth. Rosales, 41, now retired, had one other memorable stint in the majors. She was ninth in the Ana Inspirational in 2003.
It’s hard to imagine Dottie being another Rosales, who racked up two wins in the LPGA Tour in a career spanning 20 years. But who knows? Ardina, 26, is just on her fourth year as a pro.
And golf is an unpredictable sport. Today’s also-ran can be tomorrow’s champion. Golf history is filled with shocking stories of journeymen and women who battled against tough odds and prevailed. A recent example is Hinako Shibuno of Japan. She went to play the British Open for the first time last year, and won. From unknown to star in one week.
To win a major, or any tournament for that matter, a player needs to put together four days of truly sparkling and inspiring golf. That’s Dottie’s objective when she competes at the British Open on Aug. 20-23 at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland.
I am rooting for Dottie. I want her to at least make the cut. If she lands in the top 20 or 10, that’s a bonus. If she wins, that’s comparable to one of Manny Pacquiao’s eight world titles.
While there is no question about Dottie’s perseverance, there is a question about the quality of her game. The British Open attracts the world’s best golfers, many of whom are familiar with the grinding pressure of championship golf. Major events give them the adrenaline rush. They live and thrive precisely in moments like these.
This is only Dottie’s second major championship. She played in the US Open last year where she made the cut and tied for 62nd place. It will be interesting to see how Dottie will fare this time. Will she fold? Will she shine? But whatever the outcome, Dottie should feel like a winner already. After all, very few Filipinos get to play in one of the five major golf championships for women.

HERE SHE COMES: Two weeks ago, I wrote in my column that Yuka Saso had the makings of a future star. In her first Japanese LPGA tournament, the 19-year-old finished tied fifth and I said: “It was a great start, and it’s almost safe to say that after that phenomenal beginning, the country may have an honest-to-goodness international star in the making.”
Well, what do you know? Saso won her first Japan tournament in just her second try Sunday, beating the field by four strokes after a sensational nine-under-par 63 in the final round.
She had no bogeys in an incredible round that included seven birdies and an eagle, a spectacular performance that would likely create a stir in golf-mad Japan where her being half-Japanese will make her a media darling.
The win netted her the equivalent of P6.6 million. With the P4 million she pocketed in her first tournament, she now has banked P10.6 million in two tournaments.
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