By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Patrick Tambalque and Dominique Gotiong delivered standout final round performances to spike their respective title runs in the 16-18 age category of the ICTSI-Junior Philippine Golf Tour (JPGT) Visayas series at the Bacolod Golf and Country Club on Thursday, June 27.

Tambalque faced a challenging journey in the boys’ class, overcoming tough competition from Simon Wahing with a gritty even-par 70 to clinch a six-stroke victory on a seven-over 287 total.

“Overall, I played very good, made birdies I didn’t expect,” Tambalque said.

“It’s a good learning experience. I learned how to be patient — even if I made a mistake, there is still a chance to recover,” he added.

Meanwhile, Gotiong made a successful JPGT debut with 86 for a total of 331, finishing 18 strokes ahead of Iloilo leg winner Rhiena Sinfuego, who scored 349 after 87.

Breanna Rojas shot 99 and placed third with 400.

“I played really bad [in the final round] because I was tired,” said Gotiong, who will also participate in the Negros tournament next week.

“But I’m proud of what I did because I tried my best even though I wasn’t feeling well,” she said.

“I am grateful for the unwavering support of my parents, especially my father. He helped me a lot with my game, and he’s my biggest supporter,” she added.

The other category winners in the second leg of the three-leg Visayas series were Tiffany Bernardino and Nyito Tiongko (13-15), Zuri Bagaloyos and Race Manhit (10-12), and Eliana Mendoza and Kvan Alburo (8-9).

Two berths in each category of the four-division circuit are up for grabs in the Visayas and Mindanao series for the National Match Play Finals at The Country Club in Laguna in October./ASC, WDJ