Aidric Chan became the first Filipino to win a Junior World Championship crown in five years, hitting a clutch birdie on No. 16 to edge New Zealand’s Jimmy Zheng by one in the boys’ centerpiece division in the Junior World Championships at the Torrey Pines North in San Diego, California Friday.
But Chan needed to gut it out in the last two holes to pull off the stirring victory, coming through with clutch pars and watching Zheng flub a pair of tying birdie putts to preserve the lead he gained with a solid drive and approach shot to within 8-10 feet which he banged in on the 16th.
He closed out with a 69 for a 72-hole total of 277, beating Zheng, who finished with a 71 for a 278.
“I worked hard for the past few weeks and took some time competing on international soil and trying to finish well,” said Chan, who also banked on his superb putting to hack out the victory. “My putting has been well for the whole week and I knew I had to make it (putt on No. 16).”
That practically shook off Zheng’s composure as the Kiwi muffed his own birdie bid from shorter range.
“But I still had I had to play smart on the last two to buck the pressure,” said the incoming Univ. of Arizona student, who honed his talent and skills under the Manila Southwoods golf program.
Despite a mediocre 72 start, Chan said he believed he could still rally and win “but I didn’t put that in mind.”
