Riviera hosts pivotal JPGT leg

With multiple victories across the first four legs of the Luzon swing of the ICTSI Junior PGT Elite Golf Series, standouts Mavis Espedido, Zach Guico, twins Lisa and Mona Sarines, Ryuji Suzuki and Rafa Anciano have virtually secured their spots in the Elite Junior Finals.

That leaves the rest of the field in a spirited hunt for top honors and crucial ranking points as the Luzon series resumes with Leg 5 tomorrow at the Couples course of the Riviera Golf Club Inc. in Silang, Cavite.

A deep and competitive field is set to battle in the ICTSI Riviera JPGT Championship, with players from all three age divisions — 7-10, 11-14 and 15-18 — in both the boys’ and girls’ categories aiming to strengthen their bids for berths in the Elite Junior Finals, slated for 7-10 October at The Country Club in Laguna.

The culminating event will feature a Ryder Cup-style clash between the top performers from Luzon and Visayas-Mindanao, promising high-stakes action and regional pride.

In the 7-10 category, set over 36 holes, leading the charge are Penelope Sy, Tyra Garingalao, Venus delos Santos, Ziyu Liu, Cala Tolentino, Frances Guevarra, Ronee Dungca and Tyly Bernardino for the girls, and Zoji Edoc, Halo Pangilinan, Kingston Ching, James Padron, Jethro Bayron, Matteo dela Cruz, Giulio Ballado and Samuel Ababa for the boys.

The girls’ 11-14 division also promises intense competition with Kendra Garingalao, Althea Bañez, Giulian Ballado, Kelly Ng, Mena Dimaunahan, Marqaela Dy, Kay Mauricio, Arielle Espartero and Reign Waterman all vying for crucial ranking points.

A fierce and tightly contested battle looms in the boys’ 11-14 division, with a stacked roster featuring Iñigo Gallardo, Jacob Casuga, Wilfredo Dimaunahan, Lemuel Abad, Race Manhit, Zianbeau Edoc, Lorenzo Juane, Jacobo Gomez, Antonio Cruz, Nathaniel Yeung, and Zuhao Liu, along with Adrian Irinco, Isaac Dillera, Aiden Cruz, Andrei Cruz, Giulius Ballado, Majgen Gomez and Lucas Uy.

In the premier 15-18 division, tight races are anticipated. Anciano and Chloe Rada aim to solidify their finals slots. They will be challenged by Tiffany Bernardino, Angelica Bañez, Ayesha Salino, Sasha Buendia and Gabriela Sison in what’s expected to be a fiercely contested 54-hole tournament.

The boys’ 15-18 division is just as competitive, with no clear frontrunner emerging from the first four legs. Zachary Villaroman leads with 32 points, closely trailed by Patrick Tambalque. Also within striking distance are Jose Carlos Taruc (18) and Bien Fajardo and Kristoffer Nadales, who are tied at 12 points.

Also in the fold are Kyle Ng, Scott Ng, Stefano Tami, Vincent Ilagan, Alonso Espartero, Jacob Bayron, Andre Lina, Francis Slavin, Emilio Gamboa, Santino Pineda and Aaron Azurin.

To qualify for the Elite Junior Finals, players must participate in at least three of the seven regional events. The top four players from each age group in Luzon and Vis-Min will then clash in the season finale.

The Mindanao swing has concluded, while the last two postponed Visayas legs — due to the Mount Kanlaon eruption last May — have been rescheduled for 15 to 17 May in Negros and 18 to 20 September in Bacolod.