BAGUIO – Lloyd Go completed a wire-to-wire victory at the ICTSI Pinewoods Challenge, turning the final 18 holes into little more than a victory lap after effectively putting the tournament out of reach before Friday’s closing round.
Yet even with the title all but secured, Go refused to coast to the finish.
Holding a commanding 10-shot lead heading to the daunting par-4 No. 18, he attacked the closing hole of the Pinewoods Golf Club with the same resolve that had defined his week, rolling in a birdie that served as the perfect exclamation point to a masterclass in dominance. As if scripted, his three closest pursuers all stumbled with bogeys on the same hole, stretching his winning margin to a staggering 12 strokes.
Ironically, Go signed for his highest round of the week – a 71 – but it hardly mattered. His closing birdie, one he never actually needed, underscored the confidence, composure and relentless mindset that powered one of the most dominant performances on this season's Philippine Golf Tour, as he finished a dozen shots clear of Jeffren Lumbo.
Go admitted the thought of winning crossed his mind, but he knew nothing was guaranteed at Pinewoods.
"I did think about winning, but there's never such a thing as a sure win. This course is very challenging – you can lose your ball on every hole," said Go, who finished with a 16-under 272 for a title worth P441,500.
Lumbo, meanwhile, remained Go's pursuer from the opening round to the finish, although he never seriously threatened the leader. A closing 71, marred by a last-hole bogey, left him at 284, another encouraging performance for the rising talent who scored his maiden PGT win in dramatic fashion via a five-hole playoff against Russell Bautista at South Pacific last year.
Fidel Concepcion hit five birdies in the last seven holes, including a stirring four-birdie feat from No. 12 to fire a 69 and snatch third place at 288, while Tony Lascuña carded a 70 and tied Rupert Zaragosa and Clyde Mondilla, who bogeyed the last for 71 and 72, respectively, at 289.
Dino Villanueva shot the day’s best 68 to claim seventh place at 291.
Remarkably, Go won it on one of the country's toughest championship courses without playing a single practice round.
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