RAISING THE BAR

DAVAO CITY — Jamie Barnes proved once again that he’s the undisputed player to beat in his division, shrugging off pressure and early miscues to fire a 70 and capture a fourth straight title in the boys’ 7-10 category of the ICTSI Apo Golf Junior PGT Championship here on Tuesday.

Tied with local ace Lucas Revilleza after 18 holes of the 36-hole tournament, the Cagayan de Oro wunderkind made his move early, birdieing the opening hole of the final round. Though he stumbled with a double bogey on No. 2, Barnes showed composure and maturity beyond his years, steadying himself with clutch recoveries that would rattle most young challengers.

He bogeyed No. 7 but kept his nerves in check, closing the front nine with a 38. As Revilleza faltered with a 41, Barnes pulled ahead, then sealed his commanding lead with a barrage of birdies from Nos. 11 to 13.

For the second straight day, he capped his round with a birdie on the par-5 18th, punctuating a brilliant two-under card that gave him a tournament-best three-under 141 total.

With a stunning 12-shot margin — the same emphatic gap he posted in previous legs at Del Monte, Pueblo de Oro and South Pacific — Barnes continues to raise the bar in the third season of the Junior Philippine Golf Tour. His consistency, resolve and polish — even at a young age — have made him the gold standard in his class.

“I hit a couple of 9-iron shots that set up birdie chances on Nos. 11 and 12 — and I made them. On the par-5 13th, I drove it down the middle, hit a 5-wood just short, then chipped close for a tap-in birdie,” said Barnes, who turns 10 next month.

He added there’s no real secret behind his four-win streak, but acknowledged he still needs to sharpen his iron play.

With 60 points and a perfect four-for-four record, Barnes has practically booked his ticket to The Country Club in October for the ICTSI North versus South Elite Junior Finals, a Ryder Cup-style showdown featuring the top four players in three age categories from the Luzon and Visayas-Mindanao series.

The Junior PGT series, staged by ICTSI and Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc., aims to provide a structured competitive platform for the country’s most promising young talents.

Cebu’s Kvan Alburo came in second with a 76 and a 153, while Revilleza, unable to recover from his frontside collapse, limped home with an 85 after an opening 71 to drop to third at 156, closing the four-leg Mindanao swing.

Davao finally broke into the winner’s column as Soleil Molde romped to a wire-to-wire triumph in the girls’ 7-10 class, following up her dominant Del Monte run despite an 81 for a 159 total. That gave her a three-shot victory over Pueblo de Oro leg titlist Claren Quiño, whose final round rally of 73 fell short as she finished with a 162. Zoey Mascariñas took third with a 188 after a 95.

“Winning at home is always special — but I really wanted this one, and I thank God for making it happen,” said Molde, who shared that managing her temper has been a key lesson from her JPGT experience.

Brittany Tamayo, meanwhile, made it back-to-back in the girls’ 11-14 division, also disputed over 36 holes, asserting the rising South Cotabato star’s growing edge over Davaoeña rival Shane Baroquillo.

After a three-shot win in South Pacific, Tamayo again edged her challenger with a 71 for a 146 total.

Baroquillo, who foiled Tamayo at Del Monte, birdied two of the last three holes to save a 72 but fell short by one with a 147, while Johanna Uyking rallied with a 76 to finish third at 156.

“I played better today than yesterday because I stayed focused and didn’t try to force things,” said Tamayo, who also triumphed in Mactan.

“I didn’t expect to win — my opponent (Baroquillo) was really, really good.”

With 45 points in the bag and a slot in the grand finals secured, she added she will skip the last two Visayas legs of the series.

In the boys’ 11-14 division, Jared Saban followed up his breakthrough win at South Pacific with a dominant performance at Apo.

After a run of third-place finishes, the South Cotabato bet turned what was expected to be a tight contest into a runaway win, firing a 34 on the frontside and closing with a 71 for a seven-shot romp with a 148 total.

“I didn’t expect to win with so many strong players in the field,” said Saban, who trains with Tamayo at the Brittanica Golf Course.

“I just stayed focused and aimed for consistent pars — the birdies followed naturally.”