Aidric Chan outslugged Sean Ramos in a fierce frontside duel then held sway at the back to card a 74 and pound out a two-stroke victory while younger class campaigner Rianne Malixi snatched the overall crown over Junia Gabasa in the girls’ side of the Philippine Junior Amateur Open Golf Championships at the Sherwood Hills Golf Club in Trece Martires, Cavite yesterday.
Tied with Ramos after 54 holes, Chan surged ahead with back-to-back birdies from No. 3 then went 4-up on a par and birdie from No. 6. But a double-bogey mishap on the par-5 No. 8 enabled Ramos to close within two before the latter drew level again as Chan dropped two strokes on the par-5 No. 10.
But just when Ramos thought he had seized the momentum and put the pressure on his fancied rival, he failed to match Chan’s birdie on No. 12, bogeyed No. 14 and fell by four again on a two-shot swing on the 15th (bogey-birdie).
That enabled Chan to scoot home to victory despite a double-bogey on the final hole, claiming the overall crown on a 298 total in his final year in the event which served as the third leg of this year’s PLDT Group National Amateur Tour.
Ramos, one of the country’s leading junior players, finished with a 300 after a 76 and bagged the Albatross (15-18) title while halfway leader Paolo Barro also shot a 74 and a 303 for second with Josh Jorge, another future star, carding a 77 for joint third at 309 with Carl Corpus, who hobbled with a 79, in the event organized and conducted by the National Golf Association of the Philippines.
But Malixi, vying in the 12-14 age bracket, took the overall crown in the distaff side with a 302 after a 78, edging Gabasa, who pooled a 303 after a 74, in the event organized and conducted by the National Golf Association of the Philippines.
