CAVINTI, Laguna – The ICTSI Caliraya Springs Championship promised a blockbuster finale, but absolutely no one could have scripted the wild finish that culminated with Angelo Que's unexpected triumph.
In a bizarre twist, Keanu Jahns saw his title defense evaporate in a single, agonizing hole. The Fil-German suffered a nightmare collapse on the par-5 No. 4 of the Caliraya Springs Golf Club that saw him end up with an 11.
In the blink of an eye, the defending champion was dethroned, throwing the tournament wide open for at least six players to make a legitimate run at the title.
READ Lascuna pads Caliraya Springs lead to 3 after 68
But while the rest of the field scrambled in the sudden power vacuum, Que showed the poise of a seasoned assassin. Where others saw chaos, the reigning Order of Merit champion saw opportunity.
Cool under fire, Que ignited a blistering back-nine assault. He opened the back side with a sensational birdie-par-eagle-birdie blitz to surge two strokes ahead of Tony Lascuña, who was playing a group behind.
But the leaderboard flipped just as quickly. Lascuña answered with his own back-to-back birdie run from No. 13 to catch Que, then grabbed a one-shot lead when Que took a costly bogey on the par-5 16th for the second consecutive day.
But the former three-time Asian Tour Order of Merit winner closed out in style. Que rolled in a clutch 10-foot birdie putt on the tricky 72nd hole for a 66. Suddenly, he was back on top of the leaderboard at 18-under 270 after Lascuña flubbed a short three-footer for par on the No. 17.
When Lascuña failed to convert his birdie try on the 18th to force a playoff and settled for a 69 and a 271, Que officially crowned himself the new Caliraya Springs champion, claiming the hotly-disputed crown and banking the top purse of P450,000.
“I wasn’t pressured at all when I fell behind by one and needed a birdie on the last hole to give myself a chance,” said Que, leaning on the vast experience and numerous championship runs that have defined his illustrious career. “I just played the last hole the way it should be played.”
Guido van der Valk carded a 68 to claim third place at 272, while Sean Ramos rallied with a 67 to snatch fourth at 273. Close behind was Zanieboy Gialon, who posted a 274 after a 72 – the razor-thin, one-stroke margins underscoring just how tight and unpredictable the finale proved to be.
Meanwhile, Jahns struggled to a 75, ultimately finishing sixth at 276.
While the drama and suspense didn’t dissipate until the very last putt, Jahns’ nightmare on the fourth proved just as defining for the tournament as Que’s spectacular comeback victory.
In a gut-wrenching turnaround that stunned the gallery, Jahns’ bid for back-to-back titles literally vanished in the dreaded Caliraya wind on the fourth – a hole he had utterly mastered with two eagles and a birdie over the first three days.
Misjudging a treacherous wind, he drove into the hazard. He sent his second drive into the same hazard. Then, agonizingly, his third. Devastated, he opted to play it safe and finally sent his fourth on the fairway.
Playing 8, Jahns laid up before the lake and finally reached the green in 9 and two-putted for a devastating 11.
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