MANILA, Philippines - Assumption College rode the solid play of Sam Bruce to zoom ahead in the Girls 2 division at the start of the ICTSI-JGFP InterSchool golf tournament recently at the South Links Golf Club course in Las Piñas.
The towering Bruce, who scored three big wins in San Francisco, San Jose and Santa Clara in Northern California to complete her US campaign last month, tamed the hazard-laden course with 53 points equivalent to one-over-par in medal play as she teamed up with Bianca Pagdanganan (46 points) to give Assumption a 98-point total and a 22-point cushion over La Salle Zobel in the opener of the school season competition that attracted more than 500 golfers all over the country.
Nicole Abelar carded 40 and Annika Guangko made 36 for La Salle Zobel which paced St. Paul College (73). La Salle Zobel and St. Paul missed the services of their top guns Pauline del Rosario and Miya Legaspi, respectively.
Ateneo de Manila (58) led Girls 1 while Immaculate Concepcion Academy (85) paced Girls 2 of the tourney also supported by the Philippine Golf Foundation, Martin Lorenzo, Golf Depot and Inquirer Golf.
Charlene Abalos (34) and Tifanny Neri (24) powered Ateneo to an early 18-point cushion over La Salle while Mariel Tee (48) and Justine Teh (37) finished 12 points ahead of Assumption which drew 73 from sisters Mikaela and Monique Arroyo.
Meanwhile, in the Developmental Tour conducted by The Junior Golfers League also at South Links, Princess Pascua of El Rio Pasig Academy, Javi Lazatin of San Beda Alabang, Mikaela Arroyo of Assumption, Joaquin Gomez of La Salle Canlubang, Marjorie Espanola of Foundation International School and Josh Jorge of Gabby Christian Academy led their respective divisions.