GEN. TRIAS, Cavite – Jakob Taruc pulled off a stirring Junior Philippine Golf Tour turnaround, sweeping the final two legs of the Luzon Series – including the ICTSI Eagle Ridge JPGT Championship on Friday – to punch his ticket to the Elite Finals and anchor a powerhouse North boys’ 15-18 squad.
Rafa Anciano, on the other hand, locked out Levonne Talion to top the girls’ premier division. With the victory, Anciano officially clinched her spot in the Finals alongside early qualifiers Lisa and Mona Sarines, while Kendra Garingalao also advanced.
Riding the wave of a brilliant second-round surge, Taruc displayed nerves of steel on the Aoki course of the sprawling Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club. He shot three birdies against two bogeys on the front nine, before adding two more birdies against another bogey in the last nine holes to close with a 70 - his finest round of the tournament securing a three-over 219 total and an 11-stroke victory over Harry Sales.
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Sales, the first-round leader who faltered with a 79 on Thursday to hand Taruc the advantage, threatened a comeback early, birdying the par-5 No. 3 for the third consecutive day. But his rhythm crumbled midway through as he wavered, stumbling to a 77 to finish with a 230 total.
Lujo Gomez carded a 76 to claim third place at 231 at the close of the six-leg, three-month, course-hopping regional series organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc., setting the stage for a high-stakes Finals showdown from Aug. 17-20 at the Pueblo de Oro Country Club in Cagayan de Oro.
The top four finishers from the Luzon and Visayas-Mindanao series are headed for a thrilling, Ryder Cup-style collision. Three age divisions (7-10, 11-14 and 15-18) will face off as the North looks to defend the title it won at The Country Club last year, while a battle-tested South squad hunts for revenge.
While Taruc realized a Finals dream, Talion’s desperate, last-ditch bid for a Pueblo de Oro berth fell agonizingly short in the premier girls' division.
Needing nothing less than a victory to break into the Top 4, Talion showed immense heart, rallying from four strokes down to within one of Anciano with just three holes to play. Despite carrying a seven-over card, Talion kept the pressure on. However, Anciano toughened up in the clutch, matching her rival’s birdie on the 16th before drilling another on the par-3 No. 17 to go 2-up.
Both players bogeyed the final hole, leaving Anciano with an 81 for a 242 total, while Talion settled for second with a 79 for a 244. Garingalao bowed out of what had been a three-way battle for leg title after a double-bogey on No. 5 and a triple-bogey on the seventh, limping with an 85 for a 249.
With the victory, Anciano concluded the six-leg series with 40 points, while Garingalao finished with 37. The duo booked the last two spots in the Finals alongside early qualifiers Liza Sarines (42 points) and Mona Sarines (39 points).
Talion finished her campaign with 34 points.
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