Thai survives poor finish, bags crown

Gunn Charoenkul survived an awful fold up to emerge champion of the ICTSI Orchard Golf Championship.

Charoenkul built a seven-stroke going into the last two holes to cushion his collapse as he carded a one-under 71 Saturday at Orchard’s Player course in Cavite.

Clyde Mondilla, on the other hand, finished strong but settled for an even 72 and second place.

The 22-year-old Charoenkul surged ahead by seven with a birdie on No. 16 before shooting double bogeys in the last two holes.

Still, Charoenkul’s seven-under 281 total topped Mondilla’s 282 by one, rewarding him with his first triumph on the Philippine Golf Tour worth $10,500.

“I’m really happy because all my effort and sacrifices in the past four days didn’t go to waste,” said Charoenkul. —ROY LUARCA