By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Bacolodnon John Rey Oro captured the boys’ 15-18 division title of the ICTSI Bacolod Junior PGT Championship with a four-stroke win at the Bacolod Golf and Country Club over the weekend.

Oro carded a two-over 72 to finish with a 54-hole total of 218, eight over par.

He broke a front-nine tie with Mhark Fernando III and seized control with a birdie on the par-4 No. 11, where Fernando double-bogeyed.

Fernando dropped two more strokes on the next hole, allowing Oro to pull away despite three late bogeys.

Oro’s twin brother, John Paul, birdied the 18th to post a 75 and edged Fernando for runner-up honors via countback after both tallied 222.

Fernando settled for third with a closing 76.

In the girls’ 15-18 class, Cebu’s Tashanah Balangauan dominated with a final-round 70 for a 212 total, 13 shots ahead of Davao’s Precious Zaragosa (225).

Breanna Rojas placed third with 253.

The win gave the Oro twins back-to-back victories to close the Visayas-Mindanao series, with John Paul earlier topping the Negros Occidental leg.

Meanwhile, Fernando booked his ticket to the finals with 30 points, joining Alexis Nailga and Luciano Copok as the Vis-Min representatives in the national championship at The Country Club in Laguna from September 30 to October 3.

Balangauan, who also ruled the Mactan and Marapara legs, completed her sweep of three straight victories to highlight her buildup for the finals.

Other winners in Bacolod were siblings Rafella and Ralph Batican in the 11-14 divisions, and Ana Marie Aguilar and Lucas Revilleza in the 7-10 categories.

Rafella also clinched the last finals berth in her group./ASC, WDJ