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By Eddie G. Alinea, Contributor
HOPING that her victory in the recent World Cup
could bring her back to a lofty ranking in the Ladies Professional
Golf Association circuit, Filipina par buster Jennifer Rosales flew
to Hawaii Tuesday to see action in the $1-million SBS Open.
Set to start Wednesday at the Arnold
Palmer Course at the Bay Resort in Honolulu, which incidentally, was
the site of her last victory three years ago before incurring wrist
injury that sidelined her from big tournaments since, the pretty
29-year-old Rosales expressed confidence to use the SBS Open as
springboard in her bid to return to her winning ways.
“Yes, this will be my first individual
tournament since winning the World Cup [in a team-up with
Filipino-American Dorothy Delasin] and since recovering from injury.
And I hope luck will be with me in my desire to recover my bearing
after almost three years in hibernation due to my injury,” Rosales
told The Manila Times in a telephone interview hours before her
departure.
“Actually, my victory with Dorothy in
the World Cup had already restored my confidence, but it will be
different if I will win again. It will boost my confidence in future
tournaments,” she said.
Rosales admitted though she is only 90
percent to full recovery and will need two or three more legs to be
fully restored to her competitive form.
Rosales, who is being sponsored by ICTSI,
said she might be back to the country after her Honolulu stint
before finalizing her all-out campaign in the LPGA circuit.
“Maybe I’ll be playing from 28 to 29
legs in the LPGA in the entire year. Maybe more or maybe less,
depending on the schedules. But definitely, I’ll be there playing
again against the best in the world,” Rosales, who in 1996 crowned
herself the world junior champion in the 15 to 17 age category,
said.
Since turning pro following her US NCAA victory
early in this decade, Rosales had won two LPGA legs, the first one
in the Atlanta Open in 2005.
Before her injury, Rosales was ranked 10th in
the LPGA Order of Merit and was also in the top 10 in the
money-making list.
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