Links whiz

SHE may not yet undulate in the realms of an Annika Sorenstam or a Karrie Webb. But she is getting there. At 21, the future is scintillating for one of our own in the LPGA Tour. Bestowed with the Filipino Athlete of the Year citation from the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) at the end of 2000, Dorothy Delasin is reaching new heights. Depending on the results of the Malaysian SEA Games, Dorothy is again the frontrunner of the most prestigious award in Philippine sports.

For the second year in a row, Fil-Am Dorothy overcame a four-stroke deficit and Korean Se Ri Pak in the final round to win the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic in Vienna, Ohio July 31. Last year's Rookie of the Year shot seven under 65 -- the lowest round of the day --to pass both Pak and Tammie Green in the back nine and collect the first place check of $150,000.

Gifted with the prodigious golf skills and a veteran of US junior tournaments, Dorothy's adolescent years were steeped in hard work, helping her parents make ends meet in the pursuit of the American dream. With her father Sonny as caddie and coach, she showed great promise as a young golfer. In 1996, she triumphed over Korean Grace Park, 5 and 4 in the finals to seize the US Junior Amateur Championships.

Despite growing up in the States, Dorothy never wavered from her Filipino roots. To uphold nationalistic fervor, she has represented the Philippines in several international events ? the 1996 World Team Amateurs in Manila, the 1997 SEA Games in Jakarta where she captured the individual gold, the 1998 World Team Amateurs in Chile, and the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok. She skipped the 1999 Brunei SEA Games for another crack in the most coveted lady amateur title in the world - the US Women's Amatuer.

Breezing through the draw, Dorothy's run culminated in a 4 and 3 rout of Korean Jimin Kang in the finals, joining an elite company of renowned lady golfers who won both the Women's Amateur and its junior counterpart. To celebrate her victory, together with her parents and three siblings, she came home to the Philippines and presented her trophy to then President Estrada in Malacanang.

Foregoing college for her golf, Dorothy earned her 2000 tour card by finishing fourth at the '99 qualifying school. Coping with limited funds and lack of sponsors, and with her dad carrying her bag, Dorothy thrived on modest accommodations before her breakthrough win in a playoff over Pat Hurst in the 2000 version of the Giant Eagle Classic, becoming the youngest winner on the LPGA Tour since 1975 and which served as backbone of her ROY Award at season's end. Now with a sponsorship deal with Nike in the works, she can fully concentrate on her game without having to worry about finances.

Dorothy makes us proud with her achievements. She may not be in the line-up for this month's SEA Games but she's competing on a higher celestial orbit, rubbing shoulders with the Julie Inksters, the Se Ri Paks and of course the world's 1-2 of Sweden's Annika Sorenstam and Australia's Karrie Webb. *

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