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TRECE MARTIRES, Cavite – Mavis Espedido and Lisa Sarines continued their stellar run in junior golf, sweeping the second leg of the ICTSI Junior PGT Luzon Series at Sherwood Hills Golf Club in contrasting but equally impressive fashion.
Espedido edged Venus delos Santos by one stroke in a tense finale to the girls’ 7-10 division, carding a final round 77 for a 153 total.
Delos Santos, who finished with a 75 and 154 total, nearly forced a playoff with a birdie on the 18th. Winter Serapio and Penelope Sy followed in third and fourth place, posting 85 and 88 for 173 and 178, respectively, as slight gusts and stifling heat added another layer of challenge to the day.
Espedido, who dominated the first leg at Eagle Ridge by 14 shots, highlighted her round with five birdies, including chip-ins and a mix of long and short putts.
Her back-to-back wins solidified her lead in the race for a Luzon team slot in the North vs. South Finals, where the top finishers from the region will face their VisMin counterparts.
“I stayed focused to shoot a good score and come out on top again,” said Espedido, crediting her win to the Lord, her family, and her coach. She now sets her sights on a three-peat at Splendido Taal next week.
In the girls’ 11-14 category, Lisa Sarines pulled away from her twin sister Mona after a frontside 37 and a string of pars on the back nine to shoot a 73, spiked by a pitch-in birdie on No. 9, and win by three strokes with a 150 total. Mona carded a 76 for a 153, while Keira Que placed third at 170.
“That pitch-in on No. 9 was tough, but it gave me the momentum I needed,” said Lisa. “I’ll never get tired of winning, but I know I have to stay humble.”
Reflecting on her double bogey start, she added: “Never lose hope…I kept fighting and turned things around.”
Keira Que placed a distant third at 170 after an 85, followed by Kendra Garingalao (86-173) and Althea Bañez (88-177).
In the boys’ 11-14 division, Vito Sarines staged a back-nine rally to snatch the title from Ryuji Suzuki, firing a 71 for a 147 total — five strokes ahead of Suzuki.
After falling two behind early, Vito responded with an eagle on the par-5 12th and sealed the win with a birdie on No. 15 and three closing pars.
“I felt a bit of pressure, but I knew I had to stay calm and focused to pull off another win,” said Vito, whose comeback was highlighted by a spectacular eagle on the par-5 12th — where he pitched from 20 yards, landing the ball five yards off the fringe before it rolled perfectly into the cup.
“I worked hard for this win. I really wanted to bounce back and redeem myself after struggling at Eagle Ridge,” he added.
Jacob Casuga wound up third at 169 following an 85, while Ryuichi Tao carded a 90 for fourth at 176, and Matthias Espina and Cade Santos shared fifth place at 180 after matching 91s.
Zoji Edoc, on the other hand, cruised to a commanding 16-shot victory in the boys’ 7-10 category, overcoming a final round 91 to post a 172 total, anchored by an opening 81. The win marked a strong comeback for Edoc, who erased the sting of a narrow one-stroke loss to absent titleholder Zach Guico at Eagle Ridge.
Halo Pangilinan carded a 90 to finish a distant second at 188, while Michael Ray Hortel II (95), Harvey Hernandez (100), and Alexian Ching (106) rounded out the top five with totals of 195, 207 and 208, respectively.
“I really wanted to win this week, especially after my setback at Eagle Ridge,” said Edoc, who expressed gratitude to his coach and family for their unwavering support.
The boys’ 15-18 division headed for a dramatic finish as Patrick Tambalque and Zach Villaroman remained deadlocked after back-to-back rounds of 76s and 74s for 150 totals. Their matching scores set up a final-round showdown — but it won’t be a two-man race.
John Paul Agustin Jr. charged into contention with a clutch eagle on the par-5 15th, carding a tournament-best 72 for a 151 total, just one shot off the lead, setting up a high-stakes finale in the 54-hole event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.
Tambalque took control early with a frontside 34 but stumbled on the back nine, including a double bogey on No. 10 and a closing bogey for a 40.
Villaroman, meanwhile, birdied two of the first three holes on the back nine to tie for the lead, but faltered with four bogeys over his last six holes, settling for a 36-38.
Agustin, who started the day three strokes behind, was initially off pace after a 37 on the front and another bogey on No. 11. But his eagle on the 15th breathed new life into his campaign, making him a real threat in the final round.
“I’m not going to focus on who’s ahead or what I need to catch up,” said Tambalque in Filipino. “I’ll just play my game so there’s less pressure.”
In the girls’ 15-18 category, Rafa Anciano moved a step closer to redemption after her collapse at Eagle Ridge, carding a 79 to take a five-shot lead at 176.
Levonne Talion, her rival from that dramatic final round two weeks ago, shot an 85 for a 181 total.
Despite the cushion, Anciano remains wary, with memories of her eight-shot final-round meltdown — which led to a sudden-death loss to Talion — still fresh.
“This feels a lot like that last round at Eagle Ridge,” said Anciano. “What I’ve learned is that I have to focus on myself — no matter what my flightmate is doing, how she’s scoring, or what’s going on around me. I need to stay locked in on my goals, play my best game, and enjoy it.”
Chloe Rada slipped further behind with an 89 for a 187 total, while first-round leader Angelica Bañez withdrew after 12 holes due to exhaustion.
