It was a walk in the park for Lloyd Jefferson Go.
The kind that should be taken leisurely and without worries. But on the back of his mind, the 28-year-old Seton Hall alum was thinking if his effort was enough.
It was.
“I was really nervous. Even though I had a big lead, I couldn’t execute my shots. But I just hung in there,” Go said.
“There was pressure but whenever I was out of position, I didn’t force it, aiming at the middle of green and making two putts.”
What put his mind at ease — and the ICTSI Palos Verdes title away — was his long birdie putt on the 17th that regained him a four-shot cushion.
“That was crucial,” he said.
Maybe it helped that his father Charlie was there and, his mother Lily was at the bag. His sister Lois Kaye also joined as she was joint third in the ladies’ division the other day.
“I’ve been playing for so many years and haven’t won,” said Go, who turned pro in 2018.
“But I finally broke the barrier and I’m really happy. Now, I can say that I’m an accomplished pro.”
After a sensational 65 in the third round Thursday, Lloyd Jefferson posted an eight-stroke lead entering the final round.
After birdieing the first, he appeared to crack after bogeys on Nos. 2, 6 and 11 and a double bogey on No. 5.
But his lead was simply too much that his opponents, mainly Michael Bibat and Guido van der Valk, ran out of holes to be able to catch up.
His 12-under 276 total was worth P350,000.
Bibat and van der Valk, trailing Go by 12 and 13 strokes, respectively, after 54 holes, respectively, mounted their comeback in the third-to-last flight with a pair of low rounds in sweltering heat.
Bibat’s near-flawless 66 and van der Valk’s eagle-aided 65 narrowed the gap to just three shots in the final stretch. However, Go’s substantial advantage proved too big a lead to overcome, leaving his challengers depleted of energy in their pursuit.
The triumph marked a redemption for Go, erasing the stigma of his past disappointments when leading after 54 holes in previous Philippine Golf Tour events, including in the Eagle Ridge Invitational in 2022.
He also blew third round leads in consecutive Asian Development Tour events in September 2022, including in the BNI Ciputra Golfpreneur in Indonesia and losing a playoff battle in the BRG Open in Vietnam.
Keanu Jahns rallied with a 69 to tie Bobe Salahog, who carded a 71, at fourth at 281, while Ira Alido matched par 72 for the second straight day and finished at sixth spot with 283 in the event supported by PGTI official apparel Kampfortis Golf.
