Jahns dominates Match Play, caps breakthrough PGT season

STA. ROSA, Laguna – Keanu Jahns validated his fast-rising status as the next big force in Philippine golf, overpowering seasoned campaigner Guido van der Valk with a commanding 3&2 victory to capture the ICTSI The Country Club Match Play Invitational title at TCC here on Friday.

The win not only netted Jahns ₱280,000 but also underscored his status as the winningest player at the close of the 10-stage Philippine Golf Tour, completing a remarkable end-season surge that included back-to-back triumphs in Caliraya Springs and Bacolod last August.

Fresh from a lopsided 6&4 demolition of Reymon Jaraula in the semifinals, Jahns absorbed an early setback in the final – finding the water on the first hole – but quickly erased any doubts that the shaky start would derail him.

While van der Valk, himself coming off a confident 3&2 semis victory over Clyde Mondilla, briefly dictated the early rhythm, the Dutch veteran soon discovered how daunting the task was against one of the tour’s longest and most explosive players.

Once Jahns settled in, the tide turned swiftly and decisively. Relying on his trademark power off the tee and a noticeably sharper putting stroke, the Fil-German birdied the par-5 second from 12 feet to square the match, then seized the lead on No. 6 – an advantage he guarded relentlessly.

At the turn, he held a tenuous 1-up edge, often too fragile for match play, yet it was clear he was tightening his grip on the duel.

Jahns opened the back nine with renewed aggression, capturing two of the first five holes to erect a three-hole cushion, a margin he protected with the poise and patience of a player maturing rapidly into elite form. By the 16th green, the outcome was sealed, and the would-be champion finally dispatched a rival known for his consistency and familiarity with the demanding TCC layout.

“Everything clicked today,” said Jahns. “My putting was better – I read the greens well and holed more putts. I drove it great, and my irons were solid except for that first hole. After that, everything was okay.”

More than okay – dominant.

Jahns’ triumph also capped a breakthrough campaign highlighted by victories in Caliraya and Binitin, a season strong enough to challenge – albeit just short of toppling – Angelo Que for the coveted Order of Merit crown.

“Of course, this win means a lot,” he added. “I’m happy to finish the year with a win. Hopefully I can keep this going into next season.”

Van der Valk settled for ₱200,000, while Mondilla claimed third place and ₱150,000 after a 5&4 rout of Reymon Jaraula in stroke-play scoring. Jaraula earned ₱120,000 for fourth.

With three victories and a deepening mastery of both stroke play and match play, the power-hitting Jahns sees this as only the beginning. Even with his dominant season, he remains driven to become a more complete and more dangerous force in 2026.

“There’s still a lot of work to do,” he admitted. “Definitely a little more distance off the tee – kasi it’s a big advantage. I’ll sort a few things in my swing to prepare for next year. I’ll keep doing what I’ve been doing, and hopefully the results will come.”

If the strides he made this year are any indication, that extra speed, strength and refinement he seeks could make him doubly – or perhaps impossibly – hard to beat in the Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.-organized circuit next season.