Santino Pineda and Korean Ji Won Lee fashioned out similar triumphs to bolster their respective bids for the national finals of the Junior PGT Series.
They topped Round 3 of the premier division under the 18-hole stroke play format at Splendido Taal in Batangas last Sunday.
Coming with their victories, Pineda and Lee will head to the last two legs of the circuit at Pradera Verde and Eagle Ridge featuring the 18-hole stroke play and drive, chip and putt formats, respectively.
Pineda birdied two of the last four holes to score a gross 73 worth 53 points under the Molave scoring system as he ran away with the boys’ 15-18 trophy with a seven-point romp over Zachary Villaroman.
An AJGA (American Junior Golf Association) campaigner, Pineda posted the best frontside score of 25 points on two bogeys and a run of pars then came up with a 28-point output at the back spiked by three birdies against two bogeys.
Lee, who tied for fifth in the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour’s Del Monte leg two weeks ago, likewise dominated the girls’ 15-18 field, also coming away with a gross 73 on three birdies against four bogeys for 53 points.
She annexed a whopping 11-point win over Lia Duque, who scored 42 points from a gross 84 with Angelica Bañez ending up third with 23 points from a gross 103
Patrick Tambalque, on the other hand, outgunned Alexander Crisostomo in a virtual shootout in the early going of the boys’ 13-14 Round 4 play then held sway at the back to fire a two-under 70 worth 56 points, four points clear of the latter, who finished with 52 points from a gross 74.
Villaroman, son of former three-time Junior World champion and swing coach Carito, hit two birdies but made seven bogeys and a triple bogey for a gross 80 worth 46 points while Mark Kobayashi scored 41 points from a gross 85 for boys 15-18 third place.
Rafael Manaol finished with 40 points from a gross 86 while Miguel Espartero and Von Raiden Tablac struggled for 38 and 26 points from grosses of 88 and 100, respectively.
Round 4 action for boys’ and girls’ 15-18, and Round 5 for boys’ 13-14, also under 1
8-hole stroke play, will be held at Pradera Verde in Lubao, Pampanga next Sunday (24 September). The tournament is organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. and supported by Kampfortis Golf, the official apparel of PGTI.
