Kenrowell Zonio hit a clutch birdie on the par-5 No. 15 to card a 71 worth 55 Molave points then foiled Cliff Nuneza in the playoff to clinch the boys’ 15-18 division title in an 18-hole stroke play format in the ICTSI JPGT VisMin Classic in Cagayan de Oro on Friday.
Zonio, from Palos Verdes, made a par against Nuneza’s bogey in sudden death to secure the victory and gain the confidence and momentum as action shifts to the drive, chip and putt skills challenge Saturday, also at the Pueblo de Oro Golf and Country Club.
The Top 3 in each category (ages 9-18) with the highest combined points earned in both formats will advance to the JPGT National Finals in October.
Nuneza, from Del Monte Golf Club, earlier bounced back from a frontside 38 with birdies on Nos. 11, 14 and 17 to post the first 71 before Zonio came in four flights later to likewise put in a one-under card and force a playoff.
Zeus Sara and Nino Villacencio also finished tied with 72s worth 54 points but the former edged the latter in the countback for third place honors in the tournament put up by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.
Alethea Gaccion, on the other hand, carded a 75 on a course she calls home worth 51 points as she bested Velinda Castil, who pooled 49 points from a gross 77, and Abby Abarcas, who scored 45 points from an 81, for the top spot in girls’ 15-18 class.
Other winners were Clement Ordeneza and Isabella Tabanas (13-14); Ralph Batican and Johanna Uyking (11-12); and Jared Saban and Zuri Bagaloyos (9-10).
The boys’ 13-14 battle likewise went down to the wire with Ordeneza, Armand Copok and David Teves all scoring 52 points from grosses of 74s. But Ordeneza, also from Del Monte, took the win with a par on the first playoff hole against Copok and Teves’ bogeys.
Club bet Tabanas bagged the girls’ 13-14 plum with 42 points from a gross 84, edging Cebu’s Lois Lane Go, who made 41 points from an 85, while Zero Plete placed third with 39 points from a gross 87.
Batican, also from the host club, and Uyking shared top honors in the 11-12 class in similar fashions with the former stamping his class in the boys’ side with 52 points from a 74 for an eight-point romp over Ken Guillermo, who had 44 points from a gross 82. Blademher Estologa wound up third with 39 points from an 87.
Uyking, from Apo Golf, scored 52 points from a gross 74 and cruised to a seven-point victory over Britanny Tamayo, who had 45 points from an 81, while Solana Molde finished third with 43 points from an 83.
In 9-10 play, Saban from Brittanika routed the boys’ field with an impressive 57-point performance from a gross 69 he laced with an eagle and five birdies, including three in the last four, that negated his two bogeys and a double bogey.
He finished eight points ahead of Franco Qiu, who made 49 points from a 77 with Kiel Elvena coming in third with 46 points from a gross 80.
Bagaloyos of Cebu Country Club and Rafaella Batican of Pueblo, meanwhile, matched 51 points from a pair of 75s to finish on top of the girls’ 9-10 bracket at dusk. Bagaloyos birdied the first playoff hole early Saturday to claim the victory.
Eliana Dumalaog finished with 43 points from an 83 for third.
