ANTIPOLO – Carl Corpus rose from an early stumble and weathered cousin Aidric Chan’s day-long threat, salvaging a 73 and a four-shot victory in the ICTSI Valley Golf Challenge at the South Course on Friday.
After limping to a 39 on the front nine, he steadied himself, regrouped and battled back with the poise of a rising champion. He made two clutch birdies in his last four holes to wrap up his first win on the Pilipinas Golf Tour.
He finished four strokes ahead of Chan with a four-day total of 11-under 277. Yet the final margin hardly told the story of how fiercely the duel unfolded – it was a tense, nerve-shredding contest that tightened deep into the final stretch.
Corpus savours breakthrough
“This win means the world to me,” said Corpus, still savoring the moment. “This is why we wake up, this is why we practice, this is why we do what we do – to be able to win.”
Asked to compare his maiden PGT victory to his early ADT triumph, he said, “There’s no better feeling than winning, especially on your home course, in front of my family and friends. It truly means the world."
Chan, unrelenting all afternoon, forced a tie at 10-under after a blistering three-birdie run from No. 14.
But just when it seemed Chan had Corpus cornered, his challenge unraveled. A costly bogey on the 17th halted his momentum, and another mishap on the closing hole sealed his fate. He closed with a 72 for a 280 total.
It was a bizarre conclusion to what had shaped up to be a compelling duel between two of the country’s rising stars – both coming off back-to-back victories on the ADT in Morocco last June, a historic first for the Philippines.
Chan said the turning point came on the par-5 No. 17. Tied at 10-under, he followed a solid drive with a superb 239-yard hybrid shot that landed six feet from the pin, setting up a two-putt birdie.
“Yun ang pinaka-turning point. After that, I told myself, medyo okay na ako,” he said.
From there, he was back in total control as Chan misfired on his drive, hit his 2-iron into the rough, and, despite going for the pin, overshot it and missed a par putt.
Corpus didn’t criticize Chan’s bold approach, emphasizing, “We always go for a win, no matter what happens next.”
What began as a two-man battle for the crown has erupted into a wide-open race, with Jeffren Lumbo, amateur Bobe Salahog, Ferdie Aunzo and Clyde Mondilla all charging into contention.
Lumbo, proving that his breakthrough playoff victory at South Pacific was no fluke, tightened the chase with a frontside 34 to pull even with Chan at seven-under overall. Salahog joined them, stunning the field of elite pros with a sizzling bogey-free five-under performance through 11 holes to secure a share of second.
Aunzo, long out of title conversation, suddenly emerged as a serious contender after posting four-under through 12 holes. Meanwhile, Mondilla – the first-day co-leader – also stayed within striking distance at five-under overall, mixing three birdies with two bogeys through 12 holes.
But the contenders all reeled back one after another.
Salahog bogeyed the 17th, but his closing 68 still secured him a strong third-place finish at six-under 282, allowing him to run away with low-amateur honors worth P40,000 gift certificates.
Guido van der Valk, the third player in the final group, fell behind after two early bogeys and never recovered, carding a 74 to finish in a tie for fourth at 284 with Rupert Zaragosa (69), Aunzo (70), Jhonnel Ababa (71), Mondilla (72), and Lumbo (73).
Tony Lascuña, whose flawless, tournament-best 64 on Friday sparked hopes of a big comeback, cooled off with a 72 and settled for 10th at 285.
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