Zaragosa, Pilac lead as tension mounts at JPGT

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By Dolly Yasa

TRECE MARTIRES, Cavite — The final leg of the seven-stage ICTSI Junior PGT Luzon Series began with fierce determination and tight competition at the Sherwood Hills Golf Club on Tuesday.

In the girls’ 13-15 category, Precious Zaragosa recovered from a late-round stumble to regain a one-stroke lead over Kendra Garingalao, finishing with a 79.

Meanwhile, Ryuki Suzuki edged ahead after a shot-for-shot battle with Korean Chan Ahn, ending with a 36 on the front nine, highlighted by a chip-in birdie on the fifth hole for a 74 and a four-stroke lead.

The windy conditions and demanding course layout added further challenges, with many players competing for crucial ranking points in this final leg of the nationwide series organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

The top four results from the seven legs will determine who advances to the national finals, alongside qualifiers from the Visayas and Mindanao series, scheduled for Oct. 1-4 at The Country Club in Laguna.

Zaragosa, the winner of the Splendido Taal and Luisita legs, lost her two-shot advantage at the par-5 No. 8 but capitalized on Garingalao’s last-hole mistake to stay ahead.

“My long game was off, but I made up for it with decent putting,” said the 13-year-old Zaragosa, who is determined to secure her No. 3 ranking for a national finals berth.

“The course is tough, especially the greens, which are very unpredictable. It was also quite hot, but I stayed cool by drinking plenty of water,” she added.

Zaragosa’s main competitors, twin sisters Lisa and Mona Sarines, are virtually guaranteed finals spots, leading the points standings with 50 and 48 points, respectively.

Zaragosa holds third place with 46 points, while Levone Talion, currently absent, sits in fourth with 43 points.

Montserrat Lapuz (36 points) and Garingalao (28 points) remain in contention, hoping for strong finishes in the final two rounds of the 54-hole tournament. Garingalao posted an 80, while Lapuz struggled with an 85.

In the girls’ 10-12 division, Quincy Pilac strengthened her bid for a finals spot, taking control with an 82, two shots ahead of Maurysse Abalos, who carded an 84.

Pilac’s strong performance gave her a critical boost in the rankings as she competes against Casedy Cuenca for the coveted fourth spot.

Pilac now has 36 points, trailing Aerin Chan (51), Abalos (47), and Georgina Handog (45). Cuenca faltered, finishing with a 107, behind Althea Bañez’s 88.

“My game felt strong, much better than my previous performance,” said Pilac, who boosted her finals bid with a third-place finish at Mount Malarayat last week. “I focused on refining my swing and worked hard during training, which really helped me post this score.”

With a four-stroke lead, Suzuki plans to stay focused and aim for as many birdies as possible in the final round.

Ahn matched Suzuki’s back-nine 38 and grabbed the lead with a birdie on the first hole, but struggled with a bogey-triple bogey-bogey finish, slipping back to a tie for second with Jacob Casuga at 78.

“I haven’t played this course in over a year, so it felt great to shoot a two-over,” said Suzuki, a 10-year-old from St. Francis of Assisi, who hones his game at Manila Southwoods.

Javie Bautista carded an 81, tying with Mount Malarayat leg winner Inigo Gallardo.

Suzuki, along with absentees Vito Sarines and Jose Luis Espinosa, are assured finals spots. However, the final seat will be fiercely contested by Bautista, Gallardo, and Casuga in the final round.

In the boys’ 13-15 division, Luciano Copok surged to the lead with a 76, four strokes clear of two-leg winner and finalist Jose Carlos Taruc, who faltered with an 80. John Paul Agustin Jr., already assured of a finals berth, stayed in contention for the leg title with an 81, with 36 holes remaining in the tournament.

Copok is determined to secure his spot in the finals through the multi-series campaign. He is currently tied for first in the rankings with absentee Dannuo Zhu, both holding 30 points.

Meanwhile, Zeus Sara, last year’s 15-18 division champion in the JPGT inaugurals, made a stunning return to form, firing a three-under-par 69 to take early control of the boys’ 16-18 division, contested over 72 holes.

The Davao native put on an impressive display, recording two birdies against one bogey on the back nine before catching fire with a birdie-bogey exchange from No. 5, followed by three straight birdies. He bogeyed the ninth but still finished with a 34-35 for a commanding 10-shot lead over Sebastian Sajuela, who posted a 79.

Patrick Tambalque, the Mount Malarayat leg winner, and fellow finalist Mark Kobayashi both struggled, with Tambalque carding an 82.

Meanwhile, Francis Slavin, Zachary Villaroman, and Rafael Mañaol — all competing for the last two spots in the premier division — posted rounds of 85, 87, and 88, respectively.

In the youngest division (8-9), Zoji Edoc shot an impressive 78 to lead by nine strokes over fellow finalist Isonn Angheng (87) in the boys’ side. On the girls’ side, Venus delos Santos posted a stellar 74 to lead by five over Eliana Mendoza (79), with Athena Serapio trailing by seven after an 81.