JPGT: Tamayo, Batican share honors in Mactan; Mendoza scores
Denise Mendoza, the 7-10 girls’ champion, hits out of a tight spot.–CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
MACTAN–Brittany Tamayo and Ralph Batican authored final round breakaways to rule their respective 11-14 brackets in the ICTSI Mactan Island Junior PGT Championship here on Tuesday and be the frontrunners for the South team seeing action in the national finals.
A rising talent from South Cotabato, Tamayo rallied past overnight leader Zuri Bagaloyos of Mandaue, closing with a five-over-par 73 for a 36-hole 150 and a five-shot win in the girls’ division as Bagaloyos stumbled with a 79.
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Margaux Espina finished third after an 82 for a 159, followed by Rafella Batican’s 79 for 160.
Batican, meanwhile, completed a wire-to-wire victory with an impressive stretch that featured five birdies and just two bogeys over 11 holes.
His second straight birdie on the par-5 15th sealed an impressive 65 despite a last-hole bogey for a four-shot win with even 136 total.
Ken Guillermo never gave up, scoring an eagle on the 15th, before running out of holes in his comeback bid. He matched Batican’s 65 and snatched runner-up honors at 140, with Jared Saban of South Cotabato shooting a 68 to slip to third at 141 in the 36-hole tournament.
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“I needed to adjust my yardage since there was practically no roll on the fairway,” said 13-year-old Batican, a protege of the legendary Frankie Miñoza.
In the girls’ 7-10, Denise Mendoza posted a commanding 15-stroke victory over Sistine Marie Yu despite closing with an 84.
Counting an opening 76 on Monday, the Cebu native tallied a 160 for the runaway win. In the boys’ 7-10, Davao’s Ethan Lago turned what was expected to be a tight contest against Kvan Alburo into a decisive win.
Tied after the opening round, Lago pulled ahead with a steady frontside 41, building a three-stroke lead. He then capitalized on Alburo’s costly quadruple bogey on No. 10 to cruise to a seven-stroke victory after a 78 for 156.
