TEAM Philippines battled hard on a very demanding final day of the 31st Nomura Cup, tallying a final round level-par 144 to wind up just two shots out of the podium as Hong Kong polished off a wire-to-wire triumph with a closing 136 for a four-shot win over Japan.
Jet Hernandez fired a one-under-par 71 and Rolando Bregente accounted for a 73 as the Filipinos finished with a 570 total, 13 shots behind the champions, even as Japan settled for second spot after firing a 138 at Bayhood No. 9 International Golf Club in Beijing, China.
Hernandez finishes joint 6th
The 21-year-old Hernandez finished in a tie for sixth spot individually, and the Filipinos still wound up with one of their best efforts in what is also known as the Asia-Pacific team golf championship in years, partly erasing the stigma of winding up 11th place at home in 2022.
"I am very proud with how all of us battled even if we didn't have our A-game the entire week," Hernandez, who went straight to the airport after his round for a flight back to Manila, where he packs his bags before flying to the United States to resume his psychology studies at the University of Denver.
"We know we can compete with (the best countries in the region)," he went on. "We just have to continue putting ourselves in these situations."
Team Philippines started out the final day trailing by just five, but just couldn't hold it together in the stretch.
"It's a tough pill to swallow, but we gave it our best till the very end," 18-year-old Shinichi Suzuki said after failing to count with his worst score for the week, a 77.
Markus Zachary Lam fired a 67, and Ethan Tian accounted for a 69 as Hong Kong played its best round of the week that frustrated the game Japanese, who got a 68 from Kaito Sato and a 70 from Taisei Nagasaki in carving out a 138.
South Korea also had a 138 like Japan after Joguk Jeong shot a 68 and Jeyi Son fired a 70, as it completed a rally that started in the third round, where it shot a 136, to finish in the podium.
Still, it was an impressive performance for the Filipinos, who beat traditional regional powers China, New Zealand, Australia and Thailand, and dethroned champion Vietnam.
"Managing to finish fourth as a team is still a solid job," said Hernandez, who will start his senior year in Denver and will likely play a fifth year so he can still develop some aspects in his game before turning pro, giving himself also the opportunity to play for the PH Team again in the near future.
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