Legaspi, Superal cap AYG gold-silver romp

NANJING – Mia Legaspi and Princess Superal were already smiling as they walked down the fairway of hole No. 9 at the Zhongshan International Golf Club yesterday.

It was the final hole of the tournament for the two Filipinas. They sent their drives to the middle of the short par-4 hole. They were four and three strokes ahead of the rest.

The gold and silver medals were in the bag.

Superal settled for par and then Legaspi, who led from start to finish, tapped in for her own par. After holding out, they exchanged high fives under the bright sun.

It was convincing 1-2 finish for the Philippines in girls’ golf of the second Asian Youth Games. After six days of action, the Filipinos are now in the medal tally.

Legaspi and Superal walked off the green and were met by team captain Carlos Coscolluela who gave the golfers, aged 14 and 16, a bear hug.

“Uy, scorecards muna,” said Legaspi, who almost dragged Superal to the  scorers’ tent.

Legaspi closed out with a 69 after eight birdies, two bogeys and the triple bogey on No. 2 for a 201 total after a 66 in the first two days.

Superal, of the ICTSI golf program, also went for it with seven birdies and a lone bogey on the final day. She had a 66 and a 202 total, one shot behind Legaspi.

“It feels very good and this gold medal is very special for me. I feel very proud but I also feel I deserve this because I’ve been working really hard,” said Legaspi.

Legaspi, who won 6 of 11 tournaments in the United States over the last three months, kept her hot streak going.

Legaspi, the youngest in the field, had some scary moments when she triple-bogeyed the par-5 No. 2 which was her 11th hole for the day.

She said her third shot found the water. Playing five, she landed on the bunker, was on in six and two-putted for her worst hole in the 54-hole event.

Another bogey on No. 3 gave the rest, including Superal, a chance to catch up. But Legaspi quickly recovered with birdies on Nos. 4 and 7 for the win.

“I also tried to win it but Mia was too good. It feels good we won the gold and silver. I’m very happy,” said the student of St. Francis in Las Piñas.

China’s Yuting Shi also made a run on the final day but she bogeyed the final hole for a 67 and a 205 total. Thailand’s Supamas Sangchan was next at 209 after a 71.

Tommy Manotoc, president of the National Golf Association of the Philippines, said the country must be proud of Legaspi for winning a gold medal here.

“We feel very happy for Mia to win the gold and Princess the silver. Mia comes strictly from a family (golf) program and we would like to support that,” said Manotoc.

The NGAP head said he’s hoping that Legaspi could be around for the country for the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar in December and the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon.

“It depends on the NGAP because they have their way of selecting the players but Mia is available anytime. This win is for all of us. This is for the country,” said Norman Legaspi, the father.

In boys’ competition, Gabriel Tomas Manotoc, the son of the NGAP chief, couldn’t play the final round because of high fever. He had a chance for the bronze after rounds of 72-71.

Rupert Zaragosa was left to carry the brunt for the Philippines and rallied with a 68 after a 76 and 77. He finished tied for ninth at 221. Taipei’s Yu Chun-an won the gold (69-203), followed by Manu Gandas of India (68-205) and Thailand’s Danthai Boonma (69-207).

After the  medals in golf were won, the Philippines’ Jurence Mendoza marched to the quarterfinals of the boys’ tennis with a quick 6-0, 6-1 win over Rashid Albader of Kuwait 6-0, 6-1.

The student of UP Diliman is also a medal hope here. He faces either a Thai or a Chinese in the quarterfinals but said he had beaten them both in previous tournaments.

“The victory in golf makes us very proud here. To win the gold and the silver speaks of our dominance in this event,” said chef-de-mission Nathaniel “Tac” Padilla during the awarding ceremonies in golf.

In athletics, Fil-American twins Kayla and Kyla Richardson were competing in the semifinals of the girls’ 100m dash at press time last night hoping to go straight to the finals.

Kayla topped her heat Monday with a time of 12.27 seconds followed by runners from Oman (12.63) and Hong Kong (12.74). Kyla was third in her heat at 12.42 behind a Chinese (12.07) and a Thai (12.40).

The 14-year-old twins, whose mother hails from Zamboanga, are being coached by their father, Jeff Richardson. They both said they came here to shoot for the gold.

The Richardsons are also scheduled to see action tonight in the 200m run.

The other track bets from the Philippines – Mary Anthony Diesto in girls’ long jump and Emily Jean Obiena in girls’ pole vault – were competing as of press time.