SILANG, Cavite – Ronee Dungca slowed down after a sizzling start but remained unchallenged, cruising to a seven-shot triumph in the girls’ 7-10 division in her debut on the ICTSI Junior PGT Series at the Riviera Golf Club, Inc. on Wednesday.
Dungca closed with an 80 despite a shaky 43 on the back nine of the Couples course, completing a wire-to-wire victory with a 36-hole total of 153. Her solid opening-round 73 all but locked up the title, giving her a nine-stroke cushion that proved insurmountable.
Runaway win
While her eight-over-par final round fell short of her personal goal of 67, it was more than enough to secure the win on another blustery day. Tyra Garingalao, who carded a 78 for a 160 total, settled for second, while Penelope Sy and Ziyu Liu struggled in the wind, finishing with 85-172 and 91-175, respectively.
“I feel good, happy. I feel a lot of things,” said Dungca, a 9-year-old student from OB Montessori in Angeles, Pampanga. “But what I liked most was meeting new people and not getting a bad score.”
If Dungca sweeps the final two legs at Pradera Verde and Pinewoods, she could tally a maximum of 45 points and still crack the Top 4 to qualify for the Finals set Oct. 7-10 at The Country Club.
Only the Top 4 in the seven-leg Luzon series will advance to the Finals, where they will face the top performers from the Visayas-Mindanao series in a Ryder Cup-style showdown.
In the boys’ youngest division, Zoji Edoc stamped his class with a dominant 12-shot victory, securing his place in the Finals with a two-day total of 155 after a closing 76.
Asher Abad and Halo Pangilinan posted identical 167s following rounds of 80 and 81, respectively, with Abad taking second place via countback after closing with five straight pars. James Padron carded an 83 and slipped to fourth at 168.
Edoc, who previously won at Sherwood Hills and placed runner-up at Eagle Ridge and Splendido Taal, now tops the division rankings with 54 points, surpassing Zach Guico’s 45.
Abad’s second-place finish gave him 12 points for a total of 42, while Pangilinan’s 10-point haul raised his tally to 40, keeping both in the hunt for a Finals spot.
Zianbeau Edoc made it a family sweep by ruling the boys’ 11-14 division with back-to-back 78s for a 156 total, securing his first JPGT title with a seven-shot win over Race Manhit and Jacob Casuga.
Manhit matched Zianbeau’s final round with a 78 for a 163 total and edged Casuga, who limped home with an 81, in the countback for runner-up honors.
In the girls’ 11-14 class, the Sarines twins continued their dominant run, finishing tied with identical 150s – Lisa with a final-round 72 and Mona with a 73. Mona, however, prevailed in the second playoff hole on No. 9 with a birdie to complete a hat-trick following victories at Splendido Taal and Caliraya Springs.
Over in the boys’ premier division, Patrick Tambalque preserved his three-stroke cushion with a gritty 73 for a 148 total. Shinichi Suzuki bounced back with a 73 of his own to trail at 151, while Kristoffer Nadales rebounded with a 74 to tie for third at 158 with Zachary Villaroman, who struggled with an 80.
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