Constantino triumphant in pro debut; Quiban 1-up

GEN. TRIAS, Cavite, Philippines —  Rookie Harmie Constantino birdied No. 13 for a crucial two-shot swing then matched Princess Superal’s birdie on the 16th to claim the ICTSI Eagle Ridge Challenge crown by two on a closing 73 at the Aoki course here yesterday.

Constantino blew a two-stroke lead with back-to-back bogeys from No. 11 but recovered her bearing to birdie the par-4 13th, which Superal bogeyed that led to a 74, enabling the former to regain a two-stroke cushion, which she used as springboard to mark her pro debut with a resounding victory.

“I felt pretty good – starting my first pro tournament with a win,” said Constantino, who actually nailed a win on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour as an amateur when she fashioned out a nine-stroke triumph at Mt. Malarayat in 2016.

“But I really didn’t expect anything here. I’m here to have fun and enjoy the day,” added the former University of Georgia standout, who pocketed the top P72,000 purse on a 54-hole total of 215 that included rounds of 73 and 69.

Meanwhile, Justin Quiban stumbled in blustery finish and holed out with a double-bogey for a 73, enabling a slew of others in men’s play, including fancied Miguel Tabuena, to close in.

Dispatching erstwhile co-leader Michael Bibat with birdies on Nos. 13 and 16 to seize control, Quiban went 3-up over his nearest pursuers heading to the par-4 18th. But he missed a couple of shots while battling the gusts and ended up yielding two strokes on Aoki layout’s tough finishing par-4 hole.

But his one-over card, which came after he vaulted into a share of the lead with Bibat with a 65 Wednesday, still proved enough to keep him on top of the leaderboard as he assembled a 213 and closer to a third career victory after a breakthrough at PGT Asia at Luisita in 2017 and a dominant win in PGT Bacolod in 2018.