Mondilla wins Philippines Open by two shots over Paez

STA. ROSA, Laguna, Philippines — Clyde Mondilla’s mortal thoughts of winning nearly cost him the biggest victory of his career. But he leaned on his big fighting heart to pull off a two-stroke triumph in the Solaire Philippine Open at The Country Club here yesterday.

Mondilla wavered from a solid four-stroke lead and needed to produce two clutch shots to save a 75, foil American Nicolas Paez and clinch the win.       

It was more a triumph of the spirit for a player who had to fight off personal woes and injuries that hampered his campaign last year and missed the cut in the Riviera Challenge last week.

Not even a bogey on the 16th coupled with Paez’s birdie on the last could alter the outcome of the country’s premier championship which took shape after the Filipino shotmaker built a four-stroke cushion with a brilliant 69 Friday. And he preserved it by fending off a horde of pursuers and securing the title with pars in the last two holes for a three-over card and beat Paez, who fired a 70, by two.

“I’ve won a number of tournaments in the regular circuit but this one is the most memorable, meaningful. I will never forget it,” said Mondilla, who finished with a 72-hole aggregate of two-over 290 at one of the country’s toughest courses.

Mondilla, who became the youngest national amateur winner at 16 in 2010 then racked up victories in the pros, including the Phl Masters that spiked his four-victory romp en route to the Philippine Golf Tour Order of Merit crown in 2017, thus broke a two-year run of playoff finishes in the country’s premier championship sponsored by Solaire Resort and Casino as he held off Paez, who threatened to within two after 13 holes, with key birdies in the stretch.

With Paez birdying the last hole for a 70 and moving within two again with a 292 with Mondilla still to complete the last two holes, it was all up for the Filipino ace to win it, send the battle to another sudden death or blow it up.