LAUREL, Batangas \u2013 Precious Zaragosa and Mona Sarines surged to the top of the leaderboard in the girls\u2019 11-14 category in the Junior Philippine Golf Tour, both carding two-over 74s to seize a five-stroke lead in the 54-hole tournament at the Splendido Taal Golf Club here Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Zaragosa\u2019s standout performance included a hole-in-one on No. 3 while Sarines finished strong with two birdies in the last three holes at the front in scorching conditions as the pair wrested a commanding lead over Lisa Sarines in one of the three age categories in the Luzon Series I of the of the 14-leg circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cI was really surprised,\u201d said Zaragosa, who used a Mizuno pitching wedge and Titleist No. 2 ball to ace the 100-yard hole. \u201cBut I became nervous after that and made a double bogey and bogey in the next two holes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Looking ahead, she added: \u201cI hope to putt better tomorrow (today).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Like most of the 60 participants, Zaragosa intends to compete in all 14 legs of the JPGT, which will culminate in the Match Play Championship in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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For her part, Mona Sarines acknowledged the need to improve on her approach shots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cThere\u2019s still 36 holes left so I\u2019ll just do my best and improve on those aspects,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Levonne Talion and Aerin Chua carded 83 and 87, respectively, while Althea Ba\u00f1ez and Kendra Garingalao struggled with 91 and 93, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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In the boys\u2019 11-14 division, Race Manhit, 11, demonstrated his potential with an 81, despite not recording any birdies. This effort secured him a two-shot lead over Juan Antonio Cruz and Aenzo Sulaik, both of whom finished with 83, while Javie Bautista and I\u00f1igo Gallardo stayed within striking distance with 85 and 86, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cThe greens are fast and I couldn\u2019t get my putting right,\u201d said Manhit, who emphasized that playing in the JPGT helps him develop a competitive spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The JPGT, sponsored by ICTSI, aims to nurture young talent and promote camaraderie among participants. It includes the 8-10 age division (36 holes) and the 15-18 category (72 holes), for both boys and girls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The event is also designed to operate independently from other junior golf organizations, ensuring no scheduling conflicts and fostering a cooperate atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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In the girls\u2019 15-18 class, Lia Duque took charge with a 76, ending with a birdie on No. 9 as she grabbed a four-stroke lead over Ji Won Lee, who finished with an 80. Rafa Ancianoa posted an 85 while Anna Kei Fernandez struggled with an 88.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cThe greens are pretty firm. But I made three three-putts, so I definitely have to clean that. I also made two double bogeys without penalties, so I need to fix that,\u201d said Duque.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LAUREL, Batangas \u2013 Precious Zaragosa and Mona Sarines surged to the top of the leaderboard in the girls\u2019 11-14 category in the Junior Philippine Golf Tour, both carding two-over 74s to seize a five-stroke lead in the 54-hole tournament at the Splendido Taal Golf Club here Tuesday. Zaragosa\u2019s standout performance included a hole-in-one on No….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[156],"class_list":["post-1427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-golf"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t