RICHLAND, Wash. (July 11, 2008) – Sixteen year-old Cyna Rodriguez, of Manila, defeated Philippine national teammate Anya Tanpinco 2 & 1 in the final match to win the 107th PNGA Women’s Amateur Championship, held at Meadow Springs Country Club in Richland, Wash.
With the temperature at Meadow Springs hovering in the low-90s, the grueling 36-hole match was a test of endurance.
Rodriguez jumped to an early 2-up lead, but Tanpinco squared the match by the 9th hole, and then controlled the contest until the 32nd hole, leading by as much as a 3-up margin, firing a 3-under par 69 on the first 18 holes.
Then Tanpinco, the 25 year-old reigning Philippine amateur champion, bogeyed three holes in row, the 33rd through the 35th, losing all three holes, and Rodriguez closed out the match on the 35th hole with a par on the 162-yard par-3.
“I had really mixed emotions,” said Rodriguez, of having to play against a member of her own team in the final match. "But I just had to go out there and have fun with it. There was a strong field here.”
Rodriguez has played in several other national tournaments within the U.S.
Both Rodriguez and Tanpinco played in the championship on a Presidential Invitation from the PNGA.
--Courtesy PNGA
PNGA Women's Am: Rodriguez is tops
Cyna Rodriguez defeats fellow Philippine national team member Anya Tanpinco 2 & 1 to win championship