BAGUIO – Javie Bautista and Mavis Espedido completed their steady rise from contenders to champions, capturing the 11-14 titles in contrasting fashion at the ICTSI John Hay Junior PGT Championship on Wednesday.
Bautista staged a brilliant comeback in the boys’ division, overcoming a seven-stroke deficit to beat Vito Sarines by a shot after a brilliant 65, while Espedido cruised to a wire-to-wire six-stroke triumph over a late-charging Ronee Dungca despite a 74 at the par-69 John Hay layout.
Bautista breakthrough
After a third-place finish at Summit Point, Bautista finally broke through. Entering the final round seven shots behind Sarines, he made a decisive run of three straight birdies to close, then watched as Jacob Casuga faltered down the stretch.
Sarines matched Bautista’s clutch birdie on the 17th to pull even at three-over overall. However, he couldn’t replicate Bautista’s closing birdie, allowing Bautista to seal a dramatic victory that seemed remote after an opening 75.
Bautista’s explosive finish gave him a 36-hole total of 140, edging Sarines, who carded a 141 after a 73, while Casuga settled for a 69 and slipped to third at 142.
Espedido entered the third leg of the JPGT Luzon Series determined to improve on her earlier finishes – a fifth-place result at Mount Malarayat and a runner-up showing at Summit Point. Despite an opening-round 76, the young standout from Subic Bay surged ahead by six strokes and sealed the victory with a four-over performance, finishing with a 150.
Dungca attempted a comeback with a strong 73 in the final round, but her costly opening 83 left too much ground to recover. She settled for second at 156, still an impressive showing for the rising star from Angeles City, who swept all her three tournaments in her JPGT debut last year.
Kelsey Bernardino placed third at 165 after carding an 83.
Meanwhile, Winter Serapio delivered a commanding response in the girls’ 7-9 division, bouncing back from a setback in the previous leg to dominate the field once more.
Serapio matched her first round 73 to finish at 146, overwhelming the competition by 15 strokes. The victory marked her second win in three starts and served as redemption after a five-shot loss at Summit Point.
Cecilia Mamauag struggled to keep pace, limping home to an 82 for a 161 total, while Amiya Tabla placed third at 166 after an 88.
In the boys’ 7-10 category, Zoji Edoc cruised to victory with an impressive three-under 135 total. The Taytay native set the tone early with a sparkling 66 and closed with a 69 to finish six strokes clear of Summit Point leg winner Zach Guico, who shot a 71 for a 141. Alexian Ching placed third at 150 after a 73.
In the girls’ 15-18 division, twin sisters Mona and Lisa Sarines traded places as Mona mounted a strong comeback, firing a 69 to erase a four-shot deficit and edge ahead at 146 heading into the final round of the 54-hole tournament.
Lisa, who led after the first round with a 73, struggled with a birdie-less 76 and slipped to second at 149, while Kendra Garingalao carded a 75 for a 152.
In the boys’ premier division, Tristan Padilla moved closer to a breakthrough, shooting a steady 69 for a five-under 133 total to keep a four-shot lead over Geoffrey Tan, who fired a two-under 67 for a 137. David Serdenia climbed to third at 139 after an impressive 66.
Meanwhile, Shinichi Suzuki failed to recover from his opening 70, limping with a 74 to drop to fourth place at 144.
In Bukidnon, standouts from Davao and South Cotabato took early control in two divisions of the ICTSI JPGT Del Monte Junior PGT Championship at Del Monte Golf Club on Wednesday as Ethan Lago and Soleil Molde dominated the 7-10 category, while Jared Saban and Brittany Tamayo led the 11-14 class after strong opening rounds.
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