DAVAO -- In a dramatic finale at the ICTSI Apo Golf Classic, Jhonnel Ababa displayed nerves of steel as he sealed a hard-fought victory over Guido van der Valk with two clutch birdies on Friday.
Ababa made the first birdie on the 18th hole to force a sudden-death playoff with Van der Valk and canned the second on the first extra hole at the ninth to claim the victory.
Both Ababa and Van der Valk finished regulation on identical 293 after closing with a 75 and 73, respectively.
Starting the day one shot behind overnight leader Kristoffer Arevalo, Ababa took control following a run for pars but ran into trouble starting on 14. He made back-to-back bogeys and dropped two shots on 16 to fall one shot behind Van der Valk.
However, Ababa set up his fourth birdie of the day following a nice approach to within three feet on 18 to tie Van der Valk.
Ababa completes birdie-birdie finish
During the playoff, both players reached the green in regulation with Ababa hitting his approach from the fairway bunker to within 16 feet.
First to putt, Van der Valk missed his birdie try from 22 feet.
“Guido putted first, and I saw his line. Even before I reached the middle of my putt, I already knew it was going in,” said Ababa of his 16-foot winning putt.
Ababa pocketed P450,000 for winning the first tournament of the season.
Ababa’s triumph mirrored the success of his family following cousin Sarah Ababa’s come-from-behind triumph last Thursday.
Lascuna, Bayron share third
Van der Valk, meanwhile, pocketed P295,000 while Tony Lascuña carded a 73 to tie fellow Davaoeño Jay Bayron, who shot a 74, at 294. Each received P151,250.
Rookie pro Ryan Monsalve rallied with a 70 to snare solo fifth at 295 and pocketed P107,500, while Korean Gwon Minwook and Collin Wheeler of the US shared sixth place at 296 and the combined P177,500 prize.
Meanwhile, Arevalo’s struggles continued as he conceded strokes on multiple holes, relinquishing his position among the frontrunners and clearing the path for Ababa’s dominant performance. He ended up with an 81 and wound up at joint 13th with Marvin Dumandan, who shot a 76, at 299.
The leading final scores:
293 – Guido van der Valk 75-72-73-73, Jhonnel Ababa 73-70-76-75
294 –Jay Bayron 74-72-74-74, Tony Lascuna 75-70-76-73
295 – Ryan Monsalve 76-77-72-70
296 – Minwook Gwon 73-71-76-76, Collin Wheeler 77-73-76-70
297 – Russell Bautista 74-74-79-70, Zanieboy Gialon 73-73-76-75, Toru Nakajima 77-77-72-71
298 – Keanu Jahns 75-74-72-77, Yu Min Hyeok 75-77-72-74
299 – Kristoffer Arevalo 79-68-71-81, Marvin Dumandan 78-75-70-76
300 – Ozeki Kakeru 72-74-79-75, Rho Hyun Ho 75-73-73-79, Daiya Suzuki 77-74-73-76
301 – Michael Bibat 76-76-75-74, Mars Pucay 75-76-72-78, Edmar Salvador Jr. 72-75-78-76
302 – Joseph Labajo 79-73-72-78
303 – Kei Matsuoka 75-73-80-75, Elmer Salvador 74-77-75-77, Rupert Zaragosa 75-73-77-78
304 – Randy Garalde 77-76-75-76, Clyde Mondilla 77-73-77-77, Nilo Salahog 74-77-78-75
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