Forest Hills nips Mizuno for Fil-Am crown

BAGUIO CITY—Forest Hills assembled a day-best round of 114 then took advantage of a rule infraction by Raymund Sangil of defending champion Mizuno Superstars to win the centerpiece Fil championship by two points in the 63rd Fil-Am Invitational golf tournament here yesterday.

Third at the start of the final round, Forest Hills actually wound up tied for first at 479 with Mizuno, which closed with 113 at the Baguio Country Club, but last year’s winner was deducted two points from its team output as penalty for Sangil, who putted out after a bogey on the fifth hole.

AAV-Ventureslink-Robros, co-leader in the first round and solo pacer in the next two, had another 104 and wound up third at 474 but produced the event’s individual champion in 17-year-old Raymund Gonzales Jr., who had a 140 tally to beat Forest Hills’ Kim In-jae by 13.

There was another unexpected turnaround in the Am championship as Matikas came up with 122 at Camp John Hay  for a 464 total and a seven-point win over Royal Northwoods.