LUBAO, Pampanga \u2013 Lisa Sarines triumphed in the girls\u2019 11-14 category of the Junior Philippine Golf Tour Luzon Series 2, scoring a wire-to-wire victory with a 72, while Geoffrey Tan dominated the boys\u2019 side at the Pradera Verde Golf and Country Club here yesterday (Thursday).<\/p>\n
Sarines, who finished third in the JPGT\u2019s kickoff leg at Splendido Taal, secured her first series win by holding onto her overnight four-stroke lead over Levonne Talion, despite a shaky front nine stint that featured three birdies, a bogey and a double-bogey.<\/p>\n
Her even-par card in the final round brought her to a 54-hole total of 223, five strokes clear of twin sister Mona.<\/p>\n
Talion, who seized solo second with a 76 Wednesday, fell five strokes behind with a frontside 37. Despite a birdie on the 12th, she missed opportunities to close the gap, bogeying two of the last five holes for a 74 for a 229, enabling Mona Sarines, who also matched par 72, to snatch runner-up honors at 228.<\/p>\n
Series I champion Precious Zaragosa struggled to an 82 and ended up fourth with 248.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was pressure because Mona started making more birdies than me, and I knew she could catch up if I made a mistake on any hole. I was aware she could easily take advantage,\u201d said Lisa, 12. Despite this, she relied on her mother\u2019s advice \u201cto just manage the pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was able to handle it (pressure) in the end,\u201d added Lisa, who acknowledged the need to improve her long game, putting and course management. \u201cThis win means a lot to me, and I\u2019m happy that I won.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tan, meanwhile, marked his JPGT debut with a resounding 19-stroke victory over first leg winner Vito Sarines with a closing 70. He took a commanding 12-stroke lead after 18 holes following an impressive two-under 70 and stretched it to 18 with a 73 in the second round.<\/p>\n
Despite some struggles, including dropping two strokes on the fifth hole and bogeying the next, Tan\u2019s closing two-under card secured a total of 213, well ahead of the 19-player field, setting a record early in the series.<\/p>\n
Vito Sarines finished way back at 232 after a 71, while Zianbeau Edoc placed third at 237 after a 76.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t expect to dominate because I knew I had tough competitors,\u201d said the 14-year-old Tan, reflecting on his runaway victory. \u201cI feel good about this win, it has given me the confidence I need for my upcoming competitions in the US.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tan is set to participate in several tournaments in North Carolina before heading to the Junior World in San Diego in July.<\/p>\n
Lisa Sarines and Tan thus joined Ryuji Suzuki and Georgina Handog, who topped the 8-10 division on Wednesday, with Suzuki emerging as the first player to achieve back-to-back victories in the 14-leg series, organized to promote the sport and discover new talents through its nationwide circuit. Three legs are scheduled in the Visayas while the Mindanao swing will feature four tournaments.<\/p>\n
Despite her day-long struggle with her shots, Jiwon Lee maintained firm control in the girls\u2019 15-18 division of the three-category series put up by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. She built a commanding 12-stroke lead with an eagle-spiked 66 in the first round and extended it to 18 shots with a 72 Wednesday, before settling for a 17-stroke lead with a 74 in the third round.<\/p>\n
\u201cI struggled today (yesterday), I had very bad drives and very bad irons. I wasn\u2019t doing really well with the up-and-down, which is why I scored a lot of bogeys,\u201d rued Lee, who shot five birdies but negated them with five bogeys and a double-bogey.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LUBAO, Pampanga \u2013 Lisa Sarines triumphed in the girls\u2019 11-14 category of the Junior Philippine Golf Tour Luzon Series 2, scoring a wire-to-wire victory with a 72, while Geoffrey Tan dominated the boys\u2019 side at the Pradera Verde Golf and Country Club here yesterday (Thursday). Sarines, who finished third in the JPGT\u2019s kickoff leg at…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1688,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[187],"class_list":["post-1687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-jpgt"],"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