Contrasting paths, common goal Jaraula, Ababa eye repeat wins at Apo

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Reymon Jaraula and Sarah Ababa head into this week’s ICTSI Apo Golf and Country Club Classic with momentum on their side — but under starkly different circumstances.

Their recent victories at the Del Monte Championship couldn’t have been more contrasting. Jaraula authored a near-flawless performance to clinch the men’s title in emphatic fashion, while Ababa staged a dramatic late rally before emerging victorious in a pressure-packed playoff.

For Jaraula, his Del Monte triumph was nothing short of a statement. Playing on his home turf in Bukidnon, the soft-spoken pro closed out the tournament with a blistering, bogey-free 9-under-par 63 — punctuated by a last-hole eagle — to set a new course record and dismantle a strong field.

He didn’t just win — he dominated, finishing nine shots ahead of Negros Occidental leg winner Rupert Zaragosa and ending the latter’s bid for back-to-back titles. The performance was a culmination of confidence, familiarity, and pure execution.

But at Apo, the narrative shifts.

“This will be a different challenge,” said Jaraula. “Iba ang course sa Del Monte, iba rin sa Davao. Di pwedeng mag-expect ng sobra, but I’ll just try to enjoy the game, play pressure-free, and see where it takes me.”

Unfamiliarity with the Apo layout and the potential presence of a partisan crowd add an extra layer of difficulty. Yet, if he carries over even half of the form he showed at Del Monte, Jaraula will remain one of the men to beat in the PHP 3.5 million eighth leg of the Philippine Golf Tour.

On the other side, Ababa pulled off one of the most stunning turnarounds in recent Ladies PGT memory. Trailing by five strokes with just nine holes to play at Del Monte, the Davao native mounted a ferocious back-nine charge. A composed final stretch and a cold-blooded finish in the second playoff hole stunned Chanelle Avaricio, who had appeared headed for a comfortable win.

“Hindi ko na talaga in-expect na manalo,” said Ababa. “Sobrang layo ni Chanelle. Pero nung nagka-chance, I grabbed it.”

Now, she returns to a course that holds both sentimental and competitive value. Apo Golf is not only her home course — it’s where she honed her game growing up, and where she clinched her third career title last year by holding off Mafy Singson.

Armed with momentum, confidence, and the comfort of familiar fairways, Ababa now seeks to go back-to-back — a rare feat in the competitive LPGT circuit.

While Jaraula prepares to conquer unfamiliar territory, Ababa looks to reassert her dominance at home. Both, however, share the same objective: a second straight title to solidify their standing in this crucial stretch of the PGT and LPGT.

But standing in their way is a hungry field of contenders.

Avaricio is expected to go all out for redemption, while top players like Daniella Uy, Harmie Constantino, Tiffany Lee, Mafy Singson, and Martina Miñoza are all poised to challenge. Miñoza, in particular, is coming off a strong third-place finish at Del Monte, signaling her potential breakthrough.

Princess Superal, who edged out Ababa in a sudden-death thriller at Caliraya Springs, is also returning in pursuit of more glory.

On the men’s side, Japanese ace Atsushi Ueda, who posted a career-best third-place finish at Del Monte, will be one to watch. Korean Jaehyun Jung, Russell Bautista, Arnold Villacencio, American Collin Wheeler, and Dutch veteran Guido van der Valk are also primed to make a run at the title.

Japan Developmental Tour campaigner Lloyd Go has also committed to the Apo event, further strengthening an already formidable field that includes a host of homegrown talents led by Tony Lascuña and Jhonnel Ababa.

Following Apo, the Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.-organized tour swings to South Pacific Golf and Leisure Estates before heading to Valley Golf in Antipolo next month for the season finale — making every shot and every point critical.