Abaño tops PGT qualifier

Amateur Banny Abaño outplayed Del Monte teammate Clyde Mondilla and Jomar Pepito and carded a one-over 73 to rule the Philippine Golf Tour Qualifying tournament at Tat Filipinas Golf Club in Laguna late Friday.

Three up on Mondilla at the start of the final round, Abaño knocked down three birdies against two bogeys in the first nine holes then watched his rivals flounder with over par scores to clinch the victory in the event that staked 20 spots for this year’s ICTSI-PGT circuit.

Abaño pooled an even 216, beating Pepito, Mondilla and veteran campaigner Danny delos Santos by eight shots. Delos Santos matched par 72 while Pepito and Mondilla wound up with 77 and 78, respectively, for 224s.

Dino Villanueva, the other player who made it to the final stage of the Q-School conducted by the Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc., skied to an 80 and ended up with a 228.