Bernardino scores nerve-wracker

BACOLOD , Philippines — Tiffany Bernardino clinched a dramatic victory in the girls’ 13-15 category of the ICTSI Junior Philippine Golf Tour Visayas Series here yesterday, with a clutch par on the 17th hole sealing her win.

Bernardino, who led from the start, finished with an 85, edging out Rane Chiu and Alexie Gabi by one with a 259 total over 54 holes.

Despite a shaky start with a frontside 45, Bernardino rallied from one stroke down in the final two holes. Her pivotal par on the challenging par-4 17th hole, which Chiu and Gabi both double-bogeyed, propelled her back into the lead.

The 13-year-old from Makati matched her rivals’ bogeys on the closing par-3 hole at the Bacolod Golf and Country Club, securing her first victory in the series sponsored by ICTSI.

“I couldn’t get my game going and wasn’t able to play my best,” Bernardino admitted. “I was pressured but handled it by praying.”

Gabi, from Gen. Santos City, who defeated Bernardino by eight strokes in Iloilo, missed a par putt and a playoff crack on the 18th, settling for an 82 and a total of 260. Chiu, who took third place in Iloilo, also scored an 82 and claimed runner-up honors via countback, earning precious points heading into the last of two Bacolod legs at Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club. The top two players after the Visayas series will advance to the National Match Play Finals.