INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines — Judson Eustaquio closed out with a level 72 and barged into the Top 10 of the Asian Amateur Championship won by South Korean Han Chang-won on Sunday at the World Cup course of the Mission Hills golf club in Shenzhen, China.

Two weeks after falling short in the national qualifier for the Southeast Asian Games, the long-hitting, United States-based Eustaquio held sway on a tough final day and tallied 286 despite a double bogey on the 18th hole.

He wound up 10 strokes off Han, who played the final round with the poise of a grizzled pro for a 70 and a five-stroke victory over another Korean, Eric Chun, who fired a 73.

Mark Fernando, just five back at the start of the day, skied to a 78, enabling Calatagan teammate Jonel Ababa to snatch 11th spot with a 71 for 287.

Fernando and Ababa, who will soon be joining the ICTSI-Calatagan/Canlubang squad, qualified to the RP team that will be seeing action in the Laos SEA Games in December.

Antonio Asistio and Rufino Bayron, the other members of the RP squad, bombed out of contention in the third round with Asistio shooting himself in the foot with a 79. He finished in 34th spot after a 74 for 293.

It was a big letdown for Fernando, who had a chance to contend for the title and the Masters slot at stake after firing sub-par cards in each of the first two rounds.

On Sunday, the reigning RP Amateur champion signed for a quadruple bogey 8 on the 12th hole and three bogeys against one birdie.

Ababa could have finished better were it not for a similar double bogey on the 18th, a 459-yard hole which has a narrow landing area off the tee. Musong R. Castillo