Mondilla shoots 67 en route crown

Clyde Mondilla hung tough under numbing pressure on Friday, closing out with a five-under-par 67 to end his Philippine Golf Tour season with a win, a two-stroke victory over Australia’s Tim Stewart and Macedonia’s Peter Stojanovski in the ICTSI Luisita Invitational Championship in Tarlac.

The long-hitting Bukidnon native birdied the par-5 16th to forge ahead and then sealed the win when Stojanovski dropped a shot in the next hole, tallying an 18-under 270 for his first win of the season.

Stojanovski, who held a one-shot overnight lead over Mondilla and Jay Bayron, returned a 70 and saw his winless streak in the local tour continue to three full seasons, even as Stewart’s rally with a 65 fell short.

Bayron also closed out with a 70 and finished three strokes off the pace, with Arnold Villacencio shooting a 67 to finish another two shots behind.

“I felt the pressure and Peter really never gave up until the last two holes,” said Mondilla, who still won comfortably despite a bogey on the 18th hole. “I played solidly [in the final round] and my putting clicked.”

The win was worth a cool P750,000 for Mondilla.