Daniella Uy has had her fair share of woes six stops into this year’s Ladies Philippine Golf Tour. But the former Junior World champion isn’t one to dwell on the past, always looking for ways to get better and stronger while gearing up for the next battle.
Heading to the ICTSI Forest Hills Classic, which begins Tuesday (June 20), Uy took a respite after another runner-up finish at Valley, hit the gym for strength training and polished her putting stroke.
That should make her armed and equipped as she chases the elusive win in the P1 million championship put up by ICTSI.
“After Valley, I took a few days off to give my left wrist a rest. Then I focused on getting my body stronger in the gym and worked on my putting,” said Uy, who scored her maiden LPGT win at Riviera-Langer in 2021 but has since come up short of a follow-up victory.
She campaigned abroad for the majority of 2022 to toughen up but has not hit paydirt back on the local tour although she has never missed a Top 5 finish halfway through the season. She placed fifth in Bacolod, tied for fourth in Iloilo, shared fifth place at Caliraya Springs, lost in sudden death at Luisita, tied for third at Villamor Philippine Masters and ended up runner-up again at Valley ruled by amateur Mafy Singson.
She rued her shaky putting the last time out and has put a lot of time working on her stroke in anticipation of a challenging week at Forest Hills.
“My putting was really bad (at Valley) that’s why I needed to work on it to shoot low at Forest Hills,” said Uy. “I expect Nicklaus course to be hard, it’s hilly and the greens are challenging.”
She also emphasized the need for ball control, saying: “It’s really important to know my yardages.”
Meanwhile, Harmie Constantino seeks redemption from a joint fifth-place finish at Valley, where she was tipped to figure in the hunt for a record third straight championship after topping the Luisita and Villamor stages.
Mikha Fortuna is likewise expected to atone for her final round showing where she closed out with an 80 after crowding the leaderboard with a second-round 71 in her first pro tournament.
Chihiro Ikeda, who won two legs last year, is also due for a big finish, along with Sarah Ababa, Florence Bisera, Pamela Mariano and Martina Miñoza and top amateur Lois Kaye Go, while Koreans Juyoung Kim, MinYeong Kim and amateur Jiwon Lee seek to halt the locals’ domination in the absence of injured and Caliraya Springs leg runner-up Seoyun Kim.
Completing the cast are Sheryl Villasencio, Lovelynn Guioguio, Lucy Landicho, Eva Miñoza, Gretchen Villacencio, Kristine Fleetwood, Apple Fudolin, Rev Alcantara, Lesley Icoy and Monica Mandario while Junior PGT standouts Aily Kidwell, Velinda Castil and Kiara Montebon get a dose of pro play in the 54-hole tournament organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.