By ADRIAN STEWART CO
Mhark Fernando III and Lois Lane Go emerged victorious in the ICTSI Bacolod Junior Philippine Golf Tour Championships after dramatic final-round performances at the Bacolod Golf and Country Club over the weekend.
Fernando captured the boys’ 15-18 division title after surviving a late challenge from local bet Eddie Gonzales Jr., while Go completed a remarkable comeback to win the girls’ 15-18 crown.
Playing on the demanding par-70 layout, Fernando entered the final round with a three-stroke lead but saw his advantage disappear after a double bogey and a bogey on the back nine.
Gonzales took advantage and briefly moved ahead with a birdie on the 12th hole.
The momentum shifted again when Gonzales stumbled with consecutive bogeys from No. 13. Both players birdied the par-5 15th before the contest came down to the final hole.
Needing a birdie to force a playoff, Gonzales recovered from trouble near the green and chipped in for par on No. 18, carding a 71 for a 54-hole total of 155.
Fernando then faced a crucial par putt after his birdie attempt rolled past the hole. He converted the two-footer to save a 73 and secure the title by one stroke with a total score of 154.
“I stayed patient and just played my game. When the situation got tough, I didn’t force things,” Fernando said in Filipino.
“After I double-bogeyed the 10th, I got nervous, but I just calmed myself down, focused on hitting fairways and greens, and settled for two-putts,” he added.
The victory earned Fernando 15 ranking points, raising his total to 33 and moving him to second place in the Visayas-Mindanao Series standings, strengthening his bid for a spot in the Elite Junior Grand Finals.
Ritchie Go finished third with a 74 and an overall score of 158.
In the girls’ 15-18 division, Go erased a seven-shot deficit to edge fellow Cebuana Tashanah Balangauan by one stroke.
Balangauan appeared headed for victory after building a six-shot advantage entering the back nine, but a double bogey on No. 10 and bogeys on Nos. 14 and 16 allowed Go to catch up.
Go birdied Nos. 11 and 15 to pull level before both players bogeyed the 17th hole, setting up a tense finish at No. 18.
On the final hole, Go hit her tee shot to within 13 feet and calmly sank a birdie putt after Balangauan narrowly missed her own birdie attempt. The birdie gave Go a final-round 70 and a winning 54-hole total of 155.
“Despite a rollercoaster round where every birdie seemed followed by a bogey, I had a good game,” 16-year-old Go said.
“I putted terribly in the first 18 holes, so I spent the next two days polishing my stroke and working on the range,” she added.
“Honestly, with such a big deficit, I didn’t think I had a chance. I just focused on my game. When I started cutting into Tashi’s lead on the back nine, the pressure really hit me. I just told myself to calm down so I could hit better shots,” Go said.
Reflecting on her performance, she said: “The key to this win was absolutely my putting. I drained a lot of birdie putts and managed to save some crucial pars.”
The victory boosted Go’s ranking points total to 35, keeping her in contention for one of four berths in the grand finals.
Despite finishing runner-up, Balangauan secured the first grand finals berth with 42 points, helped by her victories in the Mactan and Alta Vista legs.
Mikela Guillermo placed third with a total of 171 after shooting an 81.
Fernando and Balangauan joined division winners Stephen Clementer and Ana Marie Aguilar in the 7-10 category, and Mico Woo and Rafella Batican in the 11-14 division.
The final leg of the six-stage Visayas-Mindanao Series is scheduled to begin at the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club in Bacolod City on Monday, June 8./ASC, WDJ