Tiffany Bernardino closed out with an 85 on Wednesday, which was enough for a one-shot victory over Rane Chiu and Alexie Gabi in the girls’ 13-15 category of the ICTSI Junior Philippine Golf Tour Visayas Series at Bacolod Golf and Country Club in Murcia town.
A routine par 4 on the 17th was enough for Bernardino to break away from a neck-and-neck duel with Chiu and Gabi, tallying a 54-hole 259 for her first victory in the series that boosted her chances to make the national Match Play finals at The Country Club later this year.
“I couldn’t get my game going and wasn’t able to play my best,” the 13-year-old Bernardino admitted. “I was pressured, but handled it by praying.”Chiu and Gabi double bogeyed the 17th for the critical two-shot swing, with Chiu claiming second place by virtue of a countback after she and Gabi closed out with 82s.
In the boys’ 13-15 division, Nyito Tiongko fended off the early challenge of Inno Flores to win by a whopping 10 shots after signing for an 84 and a 239 total. Flores, who rallied with a frontside 39, lost momentum after pulling within two strokes with eight holes to play. He played the last seven holes at eight-over, marred by a double bogey on the 16th and wound up with an 83.
Dannuo Zhu carded an 86 to tie Ty Ritchie Go, who turned in an 87, at 252.
Eliana Mendoza and Ivan Alburo (8-9) and Race Manhit and Zuri Bagaloyos also won their divisions in the second of the three-leg Visayas series.