Brittannika holds off Team LDG

CLARK, Angeles — Brittannika Golf Club of South Cotabato sparkled in the opening round of the Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines (JGFP) International Interclub, edging out a gritty Team LDG by a single point in the tightly contested 12-and-under division Friday at Mimosa Plus Golf and Country Club.

Leading Brittannika’s charge were Jared Saban and Brittany Tamayo, who posted 53 and 51 points, respectively.

Saban, the 11-year-old son of professional golfer Elmer Saban, put on a composed performance, scoring four birdies against two bogeys and a double bogey to salvage a one-over-par card under the Modified Stableford Scoring System.

Tamayo, 12, came out strong with a front-nine score of two-under-par but faltered coming home with five bogeys — four of which came in the final stretch.

Her solid start, however, was enough to keep Brittannika in the driver’s seat. Marco Senador rounded out the team’s scoring with a steady 46, giving the squad a 150-point total.

Lucas de Guzman’s emotional return

Just one point behind, Team LDG turned in a valiant performance headlined by the emotional return of 8-year-old Lucas de Guzman.

The division’s defending individual champion, De Guzman had been sidelined since September due to a rare neurological condition that left his tournament status uncertain.

Despite his physical limitations, De Guzman showed flashes of brilliance with six opening pars and back-to-back birdies at the 16th and 17th holes.

However, fatigue soon took its toll. He bogeyed the 18th hole and doubled the second, stumbling to three more bogeys down the stretch. Still, his 49 points were widely seen as a moral victory.

“Just seeing him finish 18 holes again is already a win,” her mother Lue said afterwards.

De Guzman remains a doubtful starter on Saturday due to his doctor’s advice not to play two straight rounds.

With De Guzman not at full strength, teammate Brianna Macasaet of Assumption stepped up with an impressive 52 points.

Macasaet played steady golf with birdies on holes 3 and 6, offset by bogeys and a double bogey coming home. Sooreen Lee added 48 to complete Team LDG’s 149-point total.

Camp Aguinaldo in contention

Camp Aguinaldo 2 finished the day in third place with 136 points.

Maurysse Abalos led the way with 50 points, followed by Luis Espinosa (49) and Quincy Pilac (48). The team remains within striking distance heading into the next round.

Individual leaders emerge

In individual standings, Venus delos Santos of Estrella-Superit seized the solo lead in the girls’ division with a superb 56-point effort, showcasing a confident all-around game. She leads by three over Ronee Dungca, while Macasaet, Mavis Espedido and Zuri Bagaloyos sit tied for third at 52.

In the boys’ bracket, Jared Saban and Minh Bui of Vietnam are tied at the top with 53 points each. Just behind them are Japan’s Oshi Shinohara and Vietnam’s Quang Pham, both with 52.

The standings after the first round:

12-and-under — Brittannika 150, Team LDG 149, Camp Aguinaldo 2 147, Estrella-Superkit 139, Sec-Gen 136, Vietnam 133, Del Monte 1 130, Japan 124, Arianne Joyce Salvador Academy 105, Cebu Country Club 3 103, Aguinaldo 3 98, Thailand 92, Aguinaldo 4 85, Xavier 3 75, Baguio Country Club 1 61, JCI Manila 61, Veterans 57, CCC 5 50, Xavier 4 33, Aguinaldo 5 32, Wack Wack 32, CCC 4 32.