DAVAO – Aldrien Gialon followed up his fiery tournament-best round with a steady 75, clinching the 16-18 category crown via a resounding 18-stroke victory over Nino Villacencio in the ICTSI Junior PGT Mindanao Series 2 at the South Pacific Golf and Leisure Estates here yesterday (Friday).
After pulling away from the field by 11 strokes with a brilliant 67 on Thursday, Gialon shifted from aggressive to conservative play in the final 18 holes, effectively turning the round into a virtual practice session.
“With a huge lead, I played safe and aimed for par or bogey,” said Gialon, who finished with three bogeys and no birdies for a 37-38 and a 72-hole total of eight-over 296, leading the sweep of the premier division by the local talents.
He played pressure-free throughout the final round that was a stark contrast to his scorching performance in the previous round, where he shot eight birdies against three bogeys for a five-under 67, nine strokes better than the previous tournament-best 76 he posted in the first round.
“There’s no pressure. I just focused on hitting the fairway and the green. If I made a mistake, I would recover on the next hole,” said the 18-year-old student from EMAR Human and Environmental College.
The victory was Gialon’s second straight in the four-leg Mindanao swing of the nationwide series sponsored by ICTSI after dominating his cousin Adrian Bisera by 10 strokes at their home course in Apo last week.
Villacencio attempted to close the gap on Gialon’s overnight lead with an aggressive approach, but it backfired, resulting in an 82. However, he secured runner-up honors with a 314.
Bisera, unable to mount a comeback despite his local knowledge of the course, ended up with an 85 for third place at 324.
South Cotabato’s Rainier Tagwalan, who finished third at Apo, wound up fourth at 326 after an 84, followed by Vince Naranjo (85-338) and Kenly Wacan (86-339) in the tournament organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and backed by PGTI official apparel Kampfortis Golf.
Gialon joined other division winners on the podium, including James Rolida from Cagayan de Oro and Bataan’s Mavis Espedido (8-9), Ralph and sister Rafella Batican from Bukidnon (10-12), and AJ Wacan and Johanna Uyking (13-15), both from Davao.
Next up is the Mindanao Series 3 in Bukidnon from Aug. 6 to 9, with Pueblo de Oro Golf and Country Club in Cagayan de Oro hosting the final stop from Aug. 12 to 15.
For details and registration, contact PGTI’s Jhi Castillo at 0928-316-5678 or Shiela Salvania at 0968-311-4101.
The players’ best two results from four Mindanao events will determine their final rankings, with the top two from each age division moving to the JPGT Match Play Championship on Oct. 1-4 at the Country Club in Laguna, along with other qualifiers from the Luzon and Visayas series.
