Chan rallies, shares Riviera plum with Bernice

Aidric Chan battled back from four shots down to snare the men’s crown while Bernice Olivarez-Ilas held sway and clinched the women’s diadem despite a 78 in the Riviera MVPSF Amateur Championship at wind-swept Riviera’s Langer course in Silang, Cavite, on Sunday.

Chan fired a 70, finally putting together a game expected from the back-to-back low amateur honors in the recently concluded local pro circuit. He gunned down five birdies against four bogeys and turned a four-stroke deficit into a four-shot triumph over Miguel Olivarez-Ilas with a 226 total.

“My tempo and short game were great and I played practically relaxed,” said the 17-year-old Chan, who shot just three birdies in severe conditions in the first two days that saw him start at joint fourth (77) and fall to a share of fifth (79) on Saturday.

While Chan saved his best for last, Ilas lost his touch and composure, failing to recover from an opening 39 and ending up with a 78. He settled for second at 230 after storming into the lead in the second round.

Bernice Ilas topped the women’s division in runaway fashion despite closing out with a seven-over 78 for 225, six strokes better than Junia Gabasa, who skied to a 45 start and limped with a wind-blown 83 for a 231.