Dottie Ardina, finally, is heading to the Olympics

Golfer Dottie Ardina will finally head to the Olympics.

Back in 2016, Ardina almost made it to the Summer Games as she was eligible for a ticket to Rio. However, she backed out due to concerns brought by the Zika virus.

Eight years later, she will reclaim what is hers as she swings her way onto Paris.

With age comes wisdom

At 30, Ardina has actually competed in many tournaments.

According to her bio at the LGPA website, Ardina started playing golf when she was five. 

In her amateur years, she was a five-time winner of the US Kids Golf Championship from 2002 to 2006 and a three-time winner of the Callaway Junior World Golf Championship in 2002, 2006, and 2008. In 2011, she was a finalist in the US Girls Junior Championship.

Before turning professional in 2013, Ardina won the gold medal for the Philippines in the 2009 Southeast Asian Games for the women's team event.

As a pro, Ardina won the 2020 Ballarat Icons Pro Am title and in 2022, she won the Copper Rock Championship. 

Right now, Ardina is no. 267 in the world ranking.

At par

Joining the world's best, Ardina will go against fellow Filipino Bianca Pagdanganan and former Philippine representative Yuka Saso in the women's individual stroke.

Tokyo gold medalist Nelly Korda of the United States will also return to defend her title, while New Zealand and 2020 Olympics bronze medalist Lydia Ko hopes to win the gold as well.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News