MACTAN Island \u2013\u00a0What began as closely contested matchups turned into decisive victories as Brittany Tamayo and Ralph Batican stamped their class in the ICTSI Mactan Island Junior PGT Championship here on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Early morning showers added length and difficulty to the rain-softened Mactan Island Golf Course, presenting an added challenge for the finalists across four age-group divisions. Despite the tough conditions, Day 2 delivered standout performances and dramatic shifts, setting a high bar for the first leg of the seven-part Visayas-Mindanao Series organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.<\/p>\n
Tamayo and Batican emerged as the biggest winners in the 11-14 age category, dominating their respective divisions in contrasting fashion.<\/p>\n
Tamayo, a rising talent from South Cotabato, capitalized on a faltering finish by overnight leader Zuri Bagaloyos of Mandaue to clinch the girls\u2019 title with a closing 73 and a 36-hole total of 150. Bagaloyos stumbled with a costly triple bogey on the par-4 No. 8, leading to a final-round 79 and second-place finish at 155.<\/p>\n
Margaux Espina finished third after an 82 for a 159, followed by Rafella Batican\u2019s 79 for 160.<\/p>\n
The 13-year-old Tamayo had to make adjustments due to the course conditions.
\n\u201cThe fairways were wet, so the ball wouldn\u2019t roll, and the greens were quite receptive,\u201d she observed.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead to the finals, Tamayo emphasized the importance of staying focused, though she remains undecided on which tournaments to join in the remaining six legs of the Vis-Min series.
\n\u201cI know I can do more,\u201d she said, drawing motivation from within. She credited her success to focus, hard work, self-confidence and maintaining a positive mindset throughout.<\/p>\n
In the boys\u2019 side, Batican completed a wire-to-wire victory, extending his two-stroke overnight lead with an impressive stretch featuring five birdies and just two bogeys over 11 holes. His second straight birdie on the par-5 15th sealed an impressive three-under 65 marred by a last-hole mishap, securing a four-shot win on an even 136 total.<\/p>\n
Ken Guillermo mounted a spirited rally, highlighted by an eagle on the 15th, but ultimately ran out of holes in his comeback bid. He matched Batican\u2019s 65 and snatched runner-up honors at 140.<\/p>\n
Jared Saban of South Cotabato matched par 68 and slipped to third at 141 in the 36-hole tournament sponsored by ICTSI.<\/p>\n
\u201cI needed to adjust my yardage since there was practically no roll on the fairway,\u201d said 13-year-old Batican from the talent-rich province of Bukidnon.
\n\u201cI visualized my shots and focused on ball placement,\u201d he added, reflecting on the key to his victory.<\/p>\n
A prot\u00e9g\u00e9 of golf legend Frankie Mi\u00f1oza, Batican shared that he aims to sharpen his overall game in preparation for the North vs. South finals. He\u2019s driven to perform well, especially knowing the depth of talent in Luzon.<\/p>\n
In the youngest girls\u2019 age category, Denise Mendoza reaffirmed her dominance with a commanding 15-stroke victory over Sistine Marie Yu. Despite a shaky final-round 84 following her opening 76, the Cebuana\u2019s 160 total was more than enough to secure the victory.<\/p>\n
A winner of last year\u2019s JPGT Match Play titles, Mendoza showed flashes of brilliance with three birdies but also endured the course\u2019s challenges, carding four bogeys, a double bogey, three triple bogeys and a quadruple bogey for a 40-44.<\/p>\n
Yu, unable to capitalize on Mendoza\u2019s struggles, fell short of mounting a comeback. Trailing by 19 overnight, the Cagayan de Oro standout closed with an 80 for a 175 total and a runner-up finish. Skye Yocte took third with a 199 after a 97, while Avery Go rounded out the division with a 227 following a 107.<\/p>\n
In the boys\u2019 7-10 division, Davao\u2019s Ethan Lago turned what was expected to be a tight contest against Kvan Alburo into a decisive win. Tied after the opening round, Lago pulled ahead with a steady frontside 41, building a three-stroke lead. He then capitalized on Alburo\u2019s costly quadruple bogey on No. 10 to cruise to a seven-stroke victory.<\/p>\n
Lago closed with a second 78 for a 156 total, winning by 11 strokes over Alburo \u2013 one of last year\u2019s top performers in the ICTSI-backed national talent search \u2013 who settled for second at 167 after an 89. James Rolida of Cagayan de Oro also posted an 89 and finished third with a 171.<\/p>\n
Driven by their desire to make their families proud, Mendoza and Lago delivered commanding performances, both crediting their improved driving skills as key to their title victories.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hit my drives straight and far,\u201d said Mendoza, a 10-year-old student at Cebu Learning Center. She emphasized the need to work on her putting and approach shots as she prepares for the next Vis-Min Series stop in Negros Occidental next week.<\/p>\n
Mendoza also shared a valuable lesson she learned during the tournament: the importance of staying calm. \u201cIf you panic, your game will suffer,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy drives were all straight,\u201d echoed Lago, an 8-year-old from Ateneo de Davao, who also confirmed his participation in the upcoming events in Negros and Bacolod.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MACTAN Island \u2013\u00a0What began as closely contested matchups turned into decisive victories as Brittany Tamayo and Ralph Batican stamped their class in the ICTSI Mactan Island Junior PGT Championship here on Tuesday. Early morning showers added length and difficulty to the rain-softened Mactan Island Golf Course, presenting an added challenge for the finalists across four…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2842,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[288],"class_list":["post-2841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-jpgt-mactan"],"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