BACOLOD—Justin Quiban pounced on a clutch two-shot swing on No. 13 to turn a scary start into a resounding finish in the ICTSI Bacolod Golf Challenge here yesterday.
His whopping overnight seven-stroke lead reduced to two at the turn, Quiban steeled himself to thwart the rallying Jay Bayron with a birdie from close range off a monster drive on No. 13 of the Binitin layout. He then watched his rival flub a par-putt bid from six feet to rebuild another cushion.
That paved the way for 22-year-old Quiban’s runaway triumph that had earlier looked uncertain after a bogey-marred front 37 coupled with Bayron’s solid 32 put the latter within reach with nine holes to play in the P2.5 million event.
But that proved to be the closest Bayron could get as Quiban capped his romp with another birdie on No. 15 for a 33 and a 70 and beating Bayron by five on a 16-under 264 total worth P450,000.
“I started really slow. After those bogeys, I felt a bit of pressure, especially when a good player like Bayron is behind me,” said Quiban.
Quiban regained momentum with a big drive off the tee on the par-4 13th, the ball landing 25 feet off the cup. Bayron’s conservative approach backfired, resulting in a bogey.