Zaragosa routs Park for Match Play title

Rupert Zaragosa totally dominated Korean expat Park Min-ung yesterday to win the Philippine Amateur Junior Match Play championship at Alabang Golf Club that was at the mercy of the pint-sized talent from Canlubang all day.

Zaragosa left the junior ranks in style by gunning down a total of 15 birdies in just 29 holes of a one-sided 8 and 7 victory over Park as the 18-year-old freshman at Lyceum completed a sweep of the national stroke play and match play titles.

“I am very happy because I will be leaving the ranks in a nice way,” Zaragosa told the Inquirer after winning what he said was his 11th national title.

“It was just one of those days when everything fell into place,” he added after taking a 6-up lead after the morning 18 before closing it out on their second trip to the 11th with his last birdie.

Next up for Zaragosa, who held both the men’s and junior stroke play titles as a 14-year-old, is the Southeast Asian Games in Singapore this June. Musong R. Castillo