Mia Legaspi of the Philippines shot a final round one-under-par 35 on Sunday to win the girls’ 9-under division of the United States Kids World Championships at the Longleaf Golf Club in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Legaspi, a fourth-grader at St. Paul’s College in Pasig City, rebounded from a lethargic second round 39 to total a level 108 and posted a two-stroke victory over American Haley Moore.

It was the third world crown for the precocious Legaspi, who also has titles in the Callaway Junior Worlds (2006) and in the 8-under division of this same tournament last year.

The annual event saw players coming from a total of 35 countries and other American states, making Legaspi’s triumph even sweeter as it erased the stigma of a disappointing joint seventh place finish in the junior world.

Legaspi led from start to finish, opening up with a two-under 34 over the Longleaf complex’s second nine.

Legaspi and her parents fly back to the Philippines on Aug. 8.

The California native Moore, also a veteran of several junior world jousts and who was fifth in San Diego, had scores of 40, 35 and 35.

Legaspi tied for seventh in San Diego last month with a 178 total in her division won by American Lilia Vu at the Lomas Santa Fe Executive lay-out.

Source: Inquirer.net