Birdie binge propels Que to 3-shot win

LIPA CITY, Philippines – Angelo Que torched the backside with a flurry of birdies and doused the title bids of at least three rivals to capture the ICTSI Classic crown with a three-under 69 for a three-shot victory over Orlan Sumcad at the Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country Club here yesterday.

Tied with unheralded Erwin Vinluan and amateur Zanie Boy Gialon at the start of the final round and just one or two shots ahead of four players, Que fell behind with a double bogey mishap on No. 4. But he recovered with six birdies in the next 12 holes, including four at the back that turned what had been a tight battle for the top P200,000 purse into a runaway triumph.

He bogeyed the final hole but not after securing the victory with his last birdie on No. 16 as his pursuers either cracked under pressure or simply self-destructed in their chase for the championship.

He wound up with a seven-under 209, adding the crown to his The Country Club Invitational triumph in January and further boosting his confidence as he sets out, along with the other top Phl golfers, for the rich Malaysian Open next week.

“I’m happy that I already won two titles this year, it’s good for my confidence,” said Que in pocketing his first victory on the ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour in two years after campaigning most of the time on the Asian Tour.

The power-hitting Sumcad gunned down an eagle on No. 17 to move within two but yielded the strokes with a closing double-bogey. He had a 71 and a 212 for second worth P120,000, his biggest paycheck to date.

“I knew it would be useless with a par on the 18th so I played aggressive and went for a birdie but I ended up in the bunker,” said Sumcad in Filipino. “I was really going for the win that’s why I tried to go for it.”

Obscure Arnold Villacencio, one shot behind Que at the start of the final round, also grabbed the lead at the turn with a 34 but fumbled with four bogeys against two birdies at the back for a 38 and 72, ending up joint third with rookie pro and former Hong Kong Amateur champion Dante Becierra, who rallied with a 70, at 213. Each got P57,500.

Frankie Miñoza, also one shot behind after two rounds, failed to get his game going, turning in a roller-coaster round of six birdies against seven bogeys for a 73 and finishing in joint fifth with last year’s ICTSI Del Monte leg winner Cassius Casas, who had a 70, at 214. They halved the combined P75,000 prize.

Ranged against Que and co-leader Erwin Vinluan, Gialon held his own and even wrested a one-stroke lead with a 35 at the turn. But the top ICTSI-The Country Club bet wilted under pressure at the back, making three straight bogeys from No. 11 and dropping out of contention.

He ended up with a 75 for joint sixth with teen pro Miguel Tabuena, who rallied with a 71 for a 215 although Gialon ran away with the low amateur honors in the second leg of the 12-stage circuit backed MJ Carr Golf Management, Inc., Srixon, Callaway and Dynamic Sports.

Gialon beat ICTSI Royal Northwoods winner Jobim Carlos, who had a 73-218, by three shots.

 in a big confidence boost heading to the Philippine Amateurs at Riviera next week.

Tabuena, the former Asian Games silver medalist in his second tournament as a pro, won P30,000 after banking over P100,000 in finishing joint 30th in the SAIL Open in India three weeks ago.

Reigning Phl Open champion Artemio Murakami also failed to contend for the crown, hobbling with a 74 for solo ninth at 216 worth P25,000 while Erwin Arcillas (71), Marvin Dumandan (72) and Ernie Rellon (74) shared ninth place at 217 worth P23,000 each.

Vinluan, who found himself vying for the crown for the very first time, failed to handle the pressure and skied to a 40 after nine holes, finishing with an 81 to drop to joint 19th with Randy Garalde, who made a 71, at 221.

Sumcad, a flight ahead of the championship flight, pounced on Que’s double-bogey on No. 4, which he birdied from six feet for a three-shot swing that shoved the 37-year-old journeyman to the top. But he bogeyed the next and double bogeyed No. 8 to reel back.

This enabled Villacencio, a native of Davao and the pro at Fernando Air Base, to snatch the lead with three-under card after 10 holes in a brilliant display of shotmaking.

But like Sumcad, Vicencio succumbed to pressure and went bogey-bogey-par-par-bogey in the next five holes, allowing Que to regain the lead - and the clinch the victory - with a string of birdies and a couple of saved pars.