BUKIDNON – Unshaken by a wobbly frontside stint, Velinda Castil battled back in a fashion rarely seen in a junior golfer, birdying two of the last four holes to salvage a second straight 73 and back to where she was at the start – on top of the ICTSI Del Monte Championship heap.
Castil’s birdies on Nos. 15 and 18 made up for her double-bogey on the first hole and a bogey on the ninth and her late rebound stood out in a rain-hit day when Harmie Constantino and Daniella Uy limped with mishaps on Del Monte Golf Club’s tough finishing holes and fell off the leaderboard.
With a 146 aggregate and a one-shot lead over new pursuer Pamela Mariano, the 15-year-old Castil candidly admitted the pressure to deliver in his first title crack in a pro tournament is mounting while doubts begin to creep into her young mind.
“Medyo kinakabahan ako kasi 1-up lang ang lamang ko,” said Castil, who is coming off a runner-up finish in the 15-18 age group category of the Junior PGT VisMin Classic at Pueble de Oro last Sunday that earned her a slot in next month’s national finals.
“Sana lang, bukas (Thursday), ma-maintain ko lang ang score ko,” added the Manolo Fortich native who thus moved 18 holes away from becoming the youngest – and the first junior golfer – to win on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.
Then amateur Princess Superal won the final leg of the LPGT’s inaugural season in Baguio in 2013 at age 16.
But out to spoil her record run is a couple of title hungry pro contenders, including Mariano, who also rallied with birdies on Nos. 14 and 16 to turn in the day’s best 71 and take the challenger’s role at 147.
“I just enjoyed the game and was able to correct some of my mistakes in the first round,” said Mariano, referring to her big recovery from a first round 76.
Unlike in her first stab at LPGT at Mount Malarayat last year where she wound up tied for fourth after a final round 77, the 25-year-old shotmaker liked her chances this time, saying: “I think familiar ako sa greens, mas kabisado ko ang speed at play ng greens dito.”
Yvon Bisera, who finished runner-up to Uy in the last LPGT leg at Forest Hills, carded a second straight 74 on a four-bogey, two-birdie round and lay just two strokes off Castil with a 148 in a tie with a charging amateur Mafy Singson, the runaway winner at Valley, who also fought back from a three-over card with birdies on Nos. 11 and 15.
