Mondilla seizes Pueblo lead with late eagle

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Clyde Mondilla delivered his decisive blow when it mattered most, capping a late-round surge with an eagle on the par-5 No. 17 to card a four-under 68 Wednesday and seize the solo lead in the ICTSI Pueblo de Oro Championship.

The performance moved Mondilla within 18 holes of ending a two-year title drought.

Locked in a fierce, daylong battle for control, Mondilla found another gear down the stretch, stringing together crucial birdies before nearly holing his second shot on the 17th.

The late flourish lifted the Bukidnon ace to a 10-under-par 206 total and gave him a one-stroke cushion over Russell Bautista heading into the final round of the PHP 2.5 million championship.

The surge proved decisive on a crowded leaderboard that had featured a multiple tie at eight-under, with Rupert Zaragosa, Keanu Jahns and Jeffren Lumbo also keeping themselves firmly in contention.

Mondilla, however, produced the round’s defining shot to emerge as the man to beat in the eighth leg of the Philippine Golf Tour.

“Okay naman ang position ko. Sana magtuloy-tuloy,” said Mondilla, who is chasing his first championship in two years after defeating Angelo Que by three strokes at Caliraya Springs in 2024.

Having started the day two shots behind halfway leaders Bautista and Zaragosa, Mondilla initially struggled to gain ground, making the turn at even par.

Rather than force the issue, he stayed patient, relying on his short game to limit the damage before unleashing his charge over the closing holes.

Birdies on Nos. 11 and 15 brought him into the thick of the fight, setting the stage for the finish on the penultimate hole.

Mondilla’s booming drive traveled an estimated 345 yards, leaving him with a 185-yard second shot.

He then hit a 7-iron that settled tantalizingly close to the cup, setting up a tap-in eagle that finally separated him from the chasing pack.

The shot was almost even better than an eagle, as Mondilla came agonizingly close to holing his approach for an albatross.

“Muntik nang mag-albatross,” he said, recalling the shot that turned a tightly contested battle into a solo-lead bid.

Mondilla credited his patience and faith in his game plan for keeping him in contention despite an uneven start.

With the back nine offering more scoring opportunities, he knew he still had time to make his move.

“Sa front nine, maraming up-and-down, pero nakaka-save naman ako ng par. Hindi ako nawalan ng pag-asa kasi maraming birdie holes sa back nine, at nag-work out naman,” he said.

Bautista, meanwhile, slipped to second after carding a 71 but remained within striking distance at nine-under 207.

He kept his bid for a breakthrough PGT title alive after losing to Lumbo in a five-hole playoff at South Pacific last year.

Zaragosa, who shared the halfway lead with Bautista, endured a difficult stretch after going three-over through 12 holes.

He recovered with three birdies over the closing stretch to salvage a 72 and settle into solo third at 208.

Lumbo, who returned a 70, and Jahns, who shot a 71, shared fourth at 209, just three strokes behind Mondilla.

With four players within three shots of the lead, the championship remains wide open, setting up a high-pressure finish on the Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed layout.

Mondilla knows that protecting his advantage will require more than the big shots that carried him to the top.

With the course demanding precision and patience, he is determined to remain disciplined rather than be distracted by the pressure of a title within reach.

“Ang pressure, nandoon lagi ’yan. It’s a question of how one handles it,” said Mondilla, who is well aware of the challenges posed by the demanding layout.

His approach for Thursday’s final round will be to trust the plan that brought him the lead and make the most of the course’s challenging but rewarding greens.

“Ang importante, mag-stick ako sa game plan ko kasi hindi madali ang course. I will just enjoy the game and the course, especially the greens,” he added.

Zanieboy Gialon mounted his own late charge, holing out for an eagle on the par-4 16th before birdying the last to shoot a 69 and take solo sixth at 210.

Fourteen-year-old Junior PGT standout Ralph Batican strengthened his hold on the low amateur honors with a gutsy 70, joining Jelbert Gamolo, who carded a 71, in a share of seventh at 211.

Reymon Jaraula, the champion when Pueblo de Oro last hosted a PGT event in 2019, produced one of the day’s strongest finishes.

After opening with a 77, he caught fire over the closing stretch, birdying five of his last seven holes, including four straight from No. 14, to fire a 66 and vault into solo ninth at 212.

Guido van der Valk also made up ground with a 69 to join Ira Alido and Elee Bisera in a tie for 10th at 214.

Alido and Bisera both carded 71s.

Although Mondilla has taken command, the tight leaderboard leaves little room for complacency.

The pursuers have both the scoring ability and the opportunity to mount a final-round challenge, particularly on a course where momentum can shift quickly.

The stakes are further heightened by the results of the tour’s last two stops, where the championships in Negros Occidental and Iloilo were both decided by a single stroke.

With Mondilla finally breaking clear after a tense exchange at the top, the stage is set for another nerve-racking finish.

Bautista, Zaragosa, Jahns and Lumbo remain close enough to threaten, but the advantage belongs to Mondilla, whose clutch eagle has put him one composed round away from ending his title drought and reclaiming a place in the winner’s circle.