Pauline’s relentless pursuit

Pauline del Rosario is part of a small group of Filipinas trying to make it on the Epson Tour, playing almost every week on courses far from home and chasing a shot at the LPGA. There are no guaranteed starts out there — no appearance fees, no comfy schedules — just long drives between stops, tight budgets, and the constant need to score well enough to stay in the game.

A few days ago, she put together one of her better weeks at the Atlantic Beach Classic in Florida, closing with a six under par 65 to finish in a tie for ninth. It was only her second Top 10 since she joined the tour in 2020, but it was the kind of result that reminds her why she keeps pushing.

Pauline says nothing drastic changed in her training, but the way she approached the offseason did.

“Change in preparation during the offseason wasn’t drastic golf or strength wise, but I definitely spent more time surrounding myself with great people — family, friends. Spiritually, I think that helped a lot,” she said. “I’m still learning along the way, but my perspective on everything has definitely shifted — maybe a bit more mature.”

Going into that tournament, she didn’t carry a detailed game plan.

“I didn’t come in with any big plan. Just wanted to get my body moving the way my coach and I wanted. Focused on that, and everything else seemed to fall into place,” she explained.

Her goals for the season are simple on paper but hard to live out week after week.

“I just want to keep showing up, healthy both mentally and physically, each week. I’ll do my very best at every event,” she said.

More than her own results, she keeps coming back to the idea of seeing more Filipinas on the same stage. Del Rosario, who once made history as the first Filipina to win on the Taiwan LPGA Tour, now finds herself urging others to test their games abroad the way she did after dominating the local LPGT circuit.

“My message to them always is — and they know this because I tell them all the time — is to come here. Play here. We need more Filipinas here. They can do it,” she said.

“Playing on this stage is definitely not easy,” she added. “My fellow Filipinas can attest, and I’m sure they feel the same about being able to have the opportunity to play on this stage.”

When her schedule allows, Pauline still wants to tee it up at home on the domestic tour. She’s also open to suiting up for the flag again if the chance comes.

“It is not within my control whether they choose me or not but at the end of the day, giving the Philippines a podium finish is all I would want,” she said of a possible Asian Games call up.

Picture her back on the green in Florida: another late afternoon, another putt to line up. Behind that one stroke are the long flights, early call times, missed family occasions, and all the quiet doubts that come with life on a developmental tour.

For Pauline, the measure of her career isn’t just how fast she gets to the LPGA, or if she gets there at all. It’s in the way she keeps turning up, trying to play a little better than she did the week before, carrying the flag on her shirt and in her head.

Her game is a mix of skill sharpened on the LPGT and in Asia, and a steady, unshowy persistence that Filipino golfers know well. Every round is another chance to make that effort count, and maybe make it easier for the next Filipina who dreams of following the same road.