Van der Valk Wins ICTSI Forest Hills Classic by One

ANTIPOLO – Guido van der Valk survived a back-nine collapse in sweltering conditions and held off a late charge from three rivals to clinch a one-stroke victory with a scrambling 70 in the ICTSI Forest Hills Classic on Friday.

What began as a smooth march to the title turned into a tense grind for the 45-year-old Dutchman, who watched a four-shot lead vanish over six holes before salvaging par on the 72nd hole to secure the win.

“No. 18 isn’t the easiest hole – there’s a lot of trouble out there,” said van der Valk, who last won several seasons ago and nearly bagged a third title at The Country Club Invitational in January before falling in a playoff.

“But I hit a good drive and followed it up with a really nice second shot. That helped me settle down a bit and close it out.”

He tied for fourth in the Philippine Golf Tour’s opening leg at Pradera Verde in February and finished runner-up to Angelo Que at Eagle Ridge in April.

This time, he made sure to finish on top.

Van der Valk looked headed for a dominant close after matching Aidric Chan’s front-nine 31 and extending his lead with a birdie on No. 10.

But momentum shifted after bogeys on Nos. 12, 15 and 17, allowing Keanu Jahns, Que and Reymon Jaraula to close the gap on the Nicklaus course.

With the tournament suddenly wide open, van der Valk clung to a one-shot lead on the par-4 18th.

Under pressure, he split the fairway, then struck a precise approach that landed just three paces from the pin.

He calmly two-putted for par to finish at 12-under 272 and collect the PHP430,000 top purse.

The par, while routine on paper, proved decisive as Jahns and Que both came within inches of forcing a playoff.

“I started off a bit iffy with my approach shots but still managed to save pars,” said van der Valk.

“From No. 5 onwards, though, I really found my rhythm and went on a run with four straight birdies.

“But for some reason, I got a little defensive at the back nine.

That’s when I started getting into trouble and made some bogeys, which made things harder toward the end.

Still, I hung in there.”

Asked about Que’s late charge, van der Valk said he initially wasn’t worried, being 4-under with nine holes to play.

“But once I started making those bogeys, things definitely got a bit tougher,” he said.

“But again, I managed to hold on.”

Despite his back-nine woes, van der Valk said he felt he played solid overall, which was key to ending his title drought.

Jahns, who opened with a 34, caught fire on the back nine with five birdies in eight holes, including one on No. 18, to card a 66 and finish at 11-under 273.

Que, meanwhile, posted the round of the day—a sizzling 64 with seven birdies—but also ended one shot short.

The three-time Asian Tour champion, who won the first two PGT legs at Pradera Verde and Eagle Ridge, looked primed for another final-round comeback.

But despite matching the tournament’s lowest score, he was left lamenting missed opportunities.

Jahns and Que split the combined second and third prizes worth PHP430,000.

Jaraula, tied with van der Valk after 54 holes, faltered early with two front-nine bogeys and another on No. 12.

He rallied with birdies on 14, 16 and 17 but failed to save par from the sand on the last hole, settling for solo fourth at 274 after a 72.

Jeffren Lumbo fired a 66 to place fifth at 275, while Chan slipped with a back-nine 40 and dropped to sixth at 276 after a 71.

Fidel Concepcion posted a 67 to finish seventh at 278, followed by Russel Bautista (70–282) and Carl Corpus (72–283).

Clyde Mondilla carded a 71 to tie for 10th at 284 with Atsushi Ueda (74) and Justin Quiban (75).