Pinay golfers end up way off in Junior World Championships

MANILA, Philippines — Mafy Singson closed out with a second straight two-under 70 and finished tied at 23rd while Arnie Taguines dropped to joint 26th with a 73 in the Junior World Championships won by Keeley Marx of Australia in San Diego, California Friday (Saturday, Manila time).

Singson could’ve posted a higher finish but bogeyed the last hole that blemished what would’ve been a fine card of three birdies, marked by back-to-back feats from No. 12. She wound up with a 287.

Kamilla del Mundo’s seventh place effort in girls’ 6-under and Reese Ng’s joint 17th finish in girls’ 13-14 thus emerged the best results for Team Philippines, which suffered severe beating in other fronts of the 12 age-group categories with Miguel Ilas IV, Sean Granada, Bobe Salahog and Jet Hernandez all missing the 54-hole cut in boys’ 15-18 side.

The ICTSI-backed Singson actually put herself in early contention in the centerpiece girls’ 15-18 age division with an opening 70 but floundered with a second round 70 and failed to bounce back strong with another two-under card in the third round.

She birdied the first par-5 on No. 5, flubbed her bid on the next long holes on No. 9 and 10 but struck a crisp iron tee-shot on the par-3 No. 12 for birdie before gaining another stroke on the next. After four pars, however, she missed the 18th green and failed to rescue a par.

Taguines, on the other hand, struggled to get going after starting the final round at joint 22nd, bogeying the sixth while flubbing a couple of birdie chances. She snapped a run of pars with a birdie on the 14th but missed the par-3 No. 15 and yielded a stroke, regained it on the next but holed out the way Singson did – with a bogey.

With a 73, Taguines slipped to a share of 26th at 288, ending another fruitless campaign for Team Philippines, which last won in 2019 behind Aidric Chan, who snapped the country’s five-year title spell in the annual talent-search by winning the premier boys’ title.

Daniella Uy delivered the last win in girls' play in 2014, also in the premier division.

Singson and Taguines, meanwhile, finished third in team competition, combining for a 143 and a 575 total, 11 strokes behind the Aussies as Marx completed a sweep as she teamed up with Brielle Mapanao to assemble a winning 564 after a 142.

Earlier, not even a two-shot swing on the final hole could turn the tide for Hawaii’s Raya Nakao, who birdied the last hole, which Marx bogeyed, and still lost by one. Both finished with 69s with Marx snaring the coveted plum with a 278 and Nakao settling for runner-up honors with 279.

Erstwhile joint leaders Kelli Ann Strand and fellow American Sammie Miller tied for third at 280 after a 71 and 72, respectively.

For a while, Del Mundo appeared headed for a big campaign when she grabbed the lead in the first round. But she faded in the last two rounds of the 54-hole tournament, dropping to seventh at 217 on 62-78-77, 26 shots behind Aviana Villar, who took the crown with a 191 after a 62.

Rafael de Guzman placed 16th in the same group in the boys’ division.

In girls’ 7-8, Rafaella Batican wound up 25th, Brianna Macasaet placed 29th and Mikaela Torres finished 42nd; Margaux Namoco placed 63rd and Aerin Chan hobbled to 66th place in girls’ 9-10; Tashi Balangauan tied for 37th, Nicole Gan shared 55th place and Lois Laine Go wound up 78th in girls’ 11-12.

In boys’ 13-14, Anton Ballesteros tied for 56th, Tristan Padilla wound up joint 102nd and Patrick Tambalque shared 112th place; Nicholas Ng tied for 76th, Alex Crisostomo tied for 90th; Geoffrey Tan wound up joint 95th and Emilio Hernandez tied for 110th in 11-12; and Ralph Batican shared 44th place, Phoenix Manhit tied for 70th, Jacobo Gomez finished joint 83rd and Michael Torres placed 105th in 9-10 class.

The US racked up half of the 12 titles, including a sweep of 6-under and 11-12, girls’ 10-U and boys’ 13-14; Japan won three crowns, while Thai dominated the 7-8 group in both sides. Australia pocketed one trophy in girls’ 15-18 but swept the team events.