STA. ROSA, Laguna – Regional players rose to the occasion and turned in commanding performances in the ICTSI Junior PGT National Match Play Finals, capturing six of the eight titles disputed at The Country Club here on Friday.
The day-long competition, held under scorching conditions, pushed the competitors to their limits, testing not just their golfing abilities but also their mental resilience and physical stamina. In the face of extreme heat and pressure, these young golfers showcased their best play when it mattered most, proving their mettle against a challenging field.
Cebu's Kvan Alburo and Denise Mendoza swept the 8-9 age category titles in contrasting styles. Alburo capped off a dominant campaign, stretching from the Visayas Series to the finals, with a commanding 5&3 win over Quezon City's Michael Ray Hortel II.
Despite surrendering an early 3-up lead, Alburo regained his form on the back nine, cruising to a convincing boys’ title victory.
In contrast, Mendoza had to grind out a hard-fought 2&1 win against top seed Winter Serapio from Sampaloc in a highly charged duel for the girls’ crown. The two young golf prodigies were evenly matched in a tense showdown, with Mendoza taking the lead early before Serapio clawed back on the back nine. However, Mendoza showed resilience down the stretch, winning key holes to clinch the title.
Ralph Batican also emerged victorious, defeating Silang, Cavite’s Vito Sarines, 3&2, to claim the boys' 10-12 title, while fellow Bukidnon standout Clement Ordeneza followed suit, overpowering Marikina’s Jose Carlos Taruc with a dominant 4&3 performance in the boys' 13-15 finals.
In the girls' 16-18 category, Cagayan de Oro’s Ally Gaccion triumphed with a 4&3 victory over Southwoods' Lia Duque, while South Cotabato's Brittany Tamayo secured a dramatic 1-up win on the 19th hole against Aerin Chan after a back-and-forth battle in the girls’ 10-12 class.
The triumphs of the Visayas and Mindanao Series standouts further reinforced the Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.-organized series' mission of uncovering talent from the provinces, with the goal of nurturing, training and developing them into future national team members and potential world-class players.
Meanwhile, top-seed Precious Zaragosa dashed the Sarines siblings' hopes for a title, sealing a 2-up win over Mona Sarines in the girls' 13-15 finals, after edging out Mona's twin sister, Lisa, in a thrilling sudden-death semifinal match in the morning session.
Biñan, Laguna’s Zachary Villaroman saved his best for last, overpowering top seed Mark Kobayashi with an impressive 6&4 victory to capture the boys’ 16-18 crown in the five-month long nationwide series sponsored by ICTSI.
The victories of Batican and Zaragosa also solidified their standing as two of the top junior golfers, having both previously dominated the 11-12 category in last year’s JPGT inaugural event, which followed a stroke-play format.
In bronze medal matches, Jesus Yambao and Tyra Garingalao fashioned out 3&1 and 7&6 victories over Shaqeeq Tanog and Francesca Geroy, respectively, in the 8-9 division, while Javie Bautista and Quincy Pilac scored 6&5, and 2&1 wins over Race Manhit and Maurysse Abalos, respectively, in 10-12 category.
Armand Copok rapped Inno Flores, 7&6, to win the bronze in boys’ 13-15 class.
The gold medalists each received P30,000, while the silver and bronze medalists were awarded P20,000 and P10,000, respectively. Additionally, the eight category winners secured not only their cash prizes but also the prestigious distinction of being crowned the inaugural JPGT Match Play champions, earning well-deserved bragging rights.