Rico Depilo —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
STA. ROSA, LAGUNA—In a day of high drama and unexpected outcomes, unheralded golfers Rico Depilo and Elee Bisera delivered stunning upsets in the opening round of the ICTSI Match Play Invitational at The Country Club.
Depilo, a 52-year-old journeyman with limited acclaim on the Philippine Golf Tour, defeated top seed and defending champion Tony Lascuña with a decisive 3&1 victory.
“I didn’t expect to beat him because I know how good he is,” said Depilo in Filipino after displaying resilience and precision to secure the most significant win of his career.
“I just kept thinking that if [I dragged the fight to] the 18th hole, I might have a chance.”
He didn’t need that hole, it turned out.
The breakthrough came on the par-3 17th, where Lascuña bogeyed, cementing Depilo’s triumph. Depilo had built momentum earlier with critical shots on the 15th and 16th holes.
Elee Bisera added to the day’s surprises by ousting second-seeded Angelo Que in a tightly contested match that extended to the 19th hole. Both victories underscored the unpredictability of the match play format, where rankings sometimes take a back seat to a string of solid holes.
Tuesday’s results saw nine of the 16 higher-seeded players eliminated, including fourth-seed Rupert Zaragosa and fifth-seed Clyde Mondilla. Zaragosa fell to Arnold Villacencio in a commanding 5&4 defeat, while Mondilla succumbed to Nelson Huerva, 1-up.
Third-seed Reymon Jaraula and sixth-seed Jhonnel Ababa were among the few favorites to advance. —INQUIRER SPORTS STAFF INQ