CLYDE Mondilla edged rookie pro Jobim Carlos in a playoff, tapping in for birdie on No. 18 to win the ICTSI Manila Masters crown on Saturday at Eastridge Golf Club in Binangonan, Rizal.
Mondilla score his third pro title, hitting a superb 3-iron second shot from 240 yards to the edge of the green on their second trip to par-5 closing hole and pitching to within inches off the cup.
“It was a hard-earned victory and I’m lucky I did it,” said the 23-year-old Mondilla, who rallied with a 70 to force a playoff at 283 and went on to match his previous career record winnings of P650,000.
Carlos, who earlier equaled Mondilla’s closing birdie to card a 72 and stay in the hunt for a breakthrough victory on his rookie year, flubbed his birdie bid from 15 feet.
“I made mistakes. There were instances you cannot avoid committing lapses and it happened in the last round,” said Carlos, who double-bogeyed No. 1 and dropped two strokes on No. 15.
“We fought many times during our jungolf days and this was the first time we played in sudden death. He played well and he deserved the honor,” said Carlos, who banked P430,000.
Carlos actually blew a one-stroke lead over Mondilla with four holes to play in regulation as he double-bogeyed the par-4 15th and trailed by one. But just when Mondilla thought the rookie pro has started to crack up in a pressure-packed finish, the 20-year-old shotmaker birdied the par-3 16th to draw level.
Joenard Rates, who shot a tournament-best 67 on Friday, recovered from a bogey-bogey start with birdies on No. 3 and 5 then birdied the 18th to card a 71 and snatch solo third at 287 worth P240,000.
Rene Menor, the first round leader, shot a 75 for joint fourth with Jay Bayron at 288. Each got P175,000.
Bayron had a bogey-bogey start before hitting birdie on the sixth but he dropped two strokes on the par-3 eighth and made another double bogey on No. 11, needing to birdie the 18th for the fourth straight day to finish with a 76.
Frankie Minoza shot a 75 for joint sixth with Angelo Que at 289. Each received P125,000.
Que played the last nine holes in four under as the last year’s champion posted the day’s best score of 69.
Miguel shot a 70 for solo eighth at 291, while Dutchman Guido Van der Valk carded a 74 and Chris delos Santos ended up with a 76 to share ninth place at 292 in the event sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.