BAGUIO City – Ronee Dungca barged into the ICTSI Elite Junior Finals in emphatic fashion, sharing the top spot in the girls’ 7-10 age group category with a 71 at the close of a rain-disrupted John Hay JPGT Championship on Wednesday.
Despite missing the first four legs of the seven-stage regional tour, Dungca made a stunning late-season charge. The nine-year-old swept the last three legs, matching Mavis Espedido’s three-leg sweep worth 45 points each to advance to the finals of the season-long, course-hopping series organized to discover and develop young talent from across the country.
Dungca marches on
Dungca, Espedido and two others will now take on the top qualifiers from the Visayas-Mindanao swing in a Ryder Cup-style showdown set for Oct. 7-10 at The Country Club in Laguna.
Dungca’s closing two-over card gave her a 36-hole total of 143 for a 12-shot victory over Tyra Garingalao of Carmona, Cavite, who posted a 75 for a 155. Amiya Tablac of Baguio City finished third with a 163 after an 80.
Venus delos Santos, who was in third place in the overall standings before the final leg, recovered from a disastrous opening-round 92 with a 74. But Dungca’s spectacular finish ultimately denied the Bulacan native a place in the finals.
Winter Serapio seized the third finals berth with 37 points, while Garingalao clinched the fourth and final slot with 36 points – buoyed by the crucial 12 points she earned for her second-place finish.
Delos Santos wound up with 34 points.
In the boys' 7-10 division, Zoji Edoc secured a fourth leg victory. He capped his campaign with a second straight 71 for a 142 total – 10 strokes ahead of local favorite Marco Angheng, who ended with a 152 after a 78.
Michael Matias of Quezon City finished third at 175, followed by Samuel Ababa (100-182) and Jethro Bayron (106-205).
Edoc, a bronze medalist in the recent Junior World Championships in San Diego, also shared the top finals seeding with Zach Guico, both earning 45 points. Asher Abad and Halo Pangilinan completed the list of finalists, each collecting 34 points.
The players’ top three results from the seven-leg Luzon series determined their final rankings.
The battle for the last two finals slots in the boys’ 11-14 division delivered a dramatic finish, with Vito Sarines rallying after a long rain delay to clinch a one-stroke victory over Zianbeau Edoc.
In the girls’ 11-14 division, Lisa Sarines secured another leg victory despite a shaky finish, carding a second straight 69 for a 138 total to edge out her twin sister, Mona, by one stroke.
The boys’ 15-18 division delivered a surprise twist as Andres Fabie surged ahead despite a closing double-bogey on No. 9 after an eagle-2 on the par-4 No. 8 in wet conditions. He carded a one-over 70 and grabbed a one-stroke lead over Jakob Taruc heading into the final round of the 54-hole tournament.
In the girls’ premier division, Rafa Anciano pulled away with a commanding 15-shot lead after carding a 74 for a two-day total of 151. Tiffany Bernardino faltered with an 85 but held on to second at 166, while Chloe Rada remained in third with a 173 after an 88.
Regardless of the final-round outcome, Anciano, Bernardino, Rada and absentee Levonne Talion have already secured their spots in the finals.
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