Tambalque, Anciano triumph

CAVINTI, Laguna — Patrick Tambalque turned the final round of the ICTSI Caliraya Springs Junior PGT Championship into a victory lap, while Rafa Anciano pulled off a gutsy comeback to snag another title in the 15-18 division of the premier junior golf circuit held Friday at the scenic Caliraya Springs Golf Club.

Tambalque, entering the final round with a comfortable six-shot lead over Zachary Villaroman, didn’t let up. Playing smart and steady, the Riviera Golf standout birdied two of his last five holes to finish with a two-under 70, sealing an emphatic nine-shot win with a total of 208.

“It was a bit of a grind on the front nine — I just wasn’t feeling it,” admitted Tambalque, who also won the Splendido Taal leg, the only other Luzon event he joined. “But after a birdie on No. 11, I got into rhythm and started sinking some solid putts.”

Despite the cushion, Tambalque kept his cool and stuck to his plan. “I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. I just focused on playing my game,” said the teen, who now sets his sights on a junior interclub event at Riviera next week.

Kristoffer Nadales delivered the round of the day with a spotless six-under 66, vaulting himself into solo second in his first JPGT event with a 217 total. His sizzling finish edged Villaroman (75-219) and John Paul Agustin Jr. (75-224) to third and fourth places, respectively.

The 15-year-old Nadales bounced back big after early rounds of 75 and 76. His final day was capped by back-to-back birdies from No. 15, and he nearly grabbed a seventh birdie on the last hole if not for a late lip-out.

In the girls’ division, Rafa Anciano proved once again that no lead is safe when she’s chasing. Trailing overnight leader Chloe Rada by four shots, Anciano quickly erased the deficit with a birdie on the opening hole, while Rada crumbled with a bogey-double-bogey start.

From there, it was Anciano’s game to lose — and she never gave it up. The back-to-back winner at Sherwood Hills and Splendido Taal stayed composed, even as Eagle Ridge leg champ Levonne Talion made a push down the stretch.

Anciano closed with a 74 for a 241 total, beating Talion (78-244) by three strokes.

Rada never recovered from her rough start and finished with an 86 for third at 249, while Tiffany Bernardino carded an 83 to round out the top four at 252.

“Starting the round with a birdie really helped me settle in,” said Anciano. “Even though I was four behind, I knew I could catch up. I’ve played this course well before, and I trusted my game.”

With multiple wins under their belts, Tambalque and Anciano have all but secured their spots in the JPGT Elite Junior Finals — a showdown of the top four players from each age group in Luzon and Visayas-Mindanao, set for 30 September to 2 October at The Country Club in Laguna.

They also continue to gain valuable points in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

, a testament to the level of competition the ICTSI-backed series provides for rising junior stars.

The Junior PGT, organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc., was launched in 2023 to give young Filipino golfers a platform to grow, compete, and shine – and clearly, the future of Philippine golf is in very good hands.