La Salle dominates women’s IIT; Granada retains title

TAGAYTAY — La Salle asserted its dominance in the women’s division with a commanding sweep of both individual and team honors, but College of St. Benilde’s Sean Granada made sure the Green Archers would not have it all, pulling away late to retain the men’s crown in the ICTSI Intercollegiate Tournament at the Midlands and Lucky 9 courses here Thursday.

Phoebe Bucay completed La Salle’s romp in women’s play by overcoming final-round pressure and surviving a difficult closing stretch to card a 110 and secure a three-stroke victory over teammate Stacey Chan for the individual title.

But just as La Salle appeared headed for a clean sweep, Granada spoiled the script.

Locked in a tense duel early with La Salle’s Gabriel Canlas, the St. Benilde standout steadied himself down the stretch while his rival faltered, turning a close contest into a decisive six-shot victory with a 74 and a 296 to successfully defend the men’s championship he won in a playoff at Summit Point last year.

“This is my first IIT tournament, and it’s very competitive. I was nervous and really pressured from the start,” said Bucay, a business analytics freshman.

The 19-year-old rookie campaigner showed composure beyond her years throughout the four-day tournament organized by ICTSI and the Philippine Golf Foundation. After leading the opening round and briefly surrendering the top spot to Enderun’s Kristyanna Herrera in the second round, Bucay regained control with a gutsy third-round effort and never relinquished it.

Bracing for a final-round challenge from both Herrera and Chan, Bucay minimized costly mistakes over the demanding Midlands backside and Lucky 9 layout, where one bad hole can quickly derail a round.

Herrera failed to replicate her second-round surge, leaving Chan as Bucay’s chief challenger. Chan tried to mount a late charge with identical 52s for a 104, but Bucay’s sizable cushion proved enough.

Despite struggling home with a backside 60 in her highest round of the tournament, Bucay finished with a 72-hole aggregate of 423 to clinch the crown by three strokes over Chan, who pooled a 426. Herrera also shot a 110 to take bronze with a 428.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect to win because I’m not the type of person to go to tournaments. I’m not really competitive in golf,” said Bucay, who took up the sport for fun only during Grade 11.

But the breakthrough victory may signal a change in mindset.

“Yeah, it definitely gave me a confidence boost for upcoming tournaments,” she said.

Bucay previously carded rounds of 101, 109, and 103 before weathering the pressure-packed finale.

The Green Archers’ women’s squad completed its domination by capturing the team championship with an 844 total. Anchored by Adrienne Tan’s 105 and Chan’s 104, La Salle closed with a 209 to finish 31 strokes ahead of Enderun, which settled for runner-up honors with an 875 after a 223. St. Benilde placed third at 904 after a 235, while Mapua wound up fourth at 917 after a 220.

In the men’s division, Granada weathered an early assault from Canlas, who birdied three of the first five holes to move within one stroke of the lead.

But the momentum quickly shifted at Lucky 9.

Canlas unraveled with a 6-over card through the first six holes, allowing Granada to regain control despite a shaky stretch of three bogeys from No. 10. The defending champion responded with back-to-back birdies from No. 13 to steady his charge and pull away for good.

“It felt great. Winning the first one felt so nice that I had to do it twice,” said Granada of his back-to-back victory. “But there was a lot more pressure today since it was the final round, and I knew I had to perform well to secure the title.”

The third-year management student did exactly that.

Holding a huge lead heading into the final hole, Granada played with confidence and composure.

“By the last hole, I already knew the title was in the bag, so I didn’t put too much pressure on myself,” said Granada, who still cruised to a commanding victory despite closing with back-to-back bogeys.

Canlas settled for silver after a 76 for 302. La Salle’s Arvin Ong took third at 320 after an 82.

Though denied the men’s individual crown, La Salle still captured the team championship behind Canlas (76) and Ong (82), whose combined 158 powered the Green Archers to a 622 total — five strokes clear of St. Benilde’s 627 after a 157. Ateneo finished third at 647 after a 164.