Baptism of fire

SILANG, Cavite — Ronee Dungca slowed down after a sizzling start but remained unchallenged, cruising to a commanding seven-shot triumph in the girls’ 7-10 division in her debut on the ICTSI Junior PGT Series at the Riviera Golf Club Inc.

Dungca closed with an 80 despite a shaky 43 on the back nine of the Couples course, completing a wire-to-wire victory with a 36-hole total of 153. Her solid opening-round 73 all but locked up the title, giving her a nine-stroke cushion that proved insurmountable.

While her eight-over-par final round fell short of her personal goal of 67, it was more than enough to secure the win on another blustery day. Tyra Garingalao, who carded a 78 for a 160 total, settled for second, while Penelope Sy and Ziyu Liu struggled in the wind, finishing with 85-172 and 91-175, respectively.

“I feel good, happy. I feel a lot of things,” said Dungca, a nine-year-old student from OB Montessori in Angeles, Pampanga. “But what I liked most was meeting new people and not getting a bad score.”

Focused until the final hole, Dungca stressed the importance of continued practice, especially on her putting and short game. She birdied the opening hole for the second straight day but dropped four strokes over the next 10 holes and closed with five-over over the last four.

Still, her steadier play stood out as the swirling winds made precision club selection and distance control critical.

If Dungca sweeps the final two legs at Pradera Verde and Pinewoods, she could tally a maximum of 45 points and still crack the Top 4 to qualify for the Finals set from 7 to 10 October at The Country Club.

“Yes, I will play at Pradera Verde and Pinewoods,” she said, underscoring her intent to make a strong push for a spot in the championship of the series organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.

Mavis Espedido, with 45 points, has virtually secured the first Finals berth, with Winter Serapio close behind at 37. Garingalao’s runner-up finish at Riviera lifted her to third with 40 points, overtaking Sy, who dropped to fourth with 38 after placing third.

Only the Top 4 in the seven-leg Luzon series will advance to the Finals, where they will face the top performers from the Visayas-Mindanao series in a Ryder Cup-style showdown.

In the boys’ youngest division, Zoji Edoc stamped his class with a dominant 12-shot victory, securing his place in the Finals with a two-day total of 155 after a closing 76.

Asher Abad and Halo Pangilinan posted identical 167s following rounds of 80 and 81, respectively, with Abad taking second place via countback after closing with five straight pars. James Padron carded an 83 and slipped to fourth at 168.

Edoc, who previously won at Sherwood Hills and placed runner-up at Eagle Ridge and Splendido Taal, now tops the division rankings with 54 points, surpassing Zach Guico’s 45.

“I just kept my cool and focused on my shot management — it really came down to mindset,” said Edoc, who added that fatigue from the recent Junior World Championships, where he bagged the bronze, hardly affected him.

“I was more excited than nervous or tired because this is such a big event. I had no expectations — I just went out there and enjoyed it.”

Abad’s second-place finish gave him 12 points for a total of 42, while Pangilinan’s 10-point haul raised his tally to 40, keeping both in the hunt for a Finals spot.

Zianbeau Edoc made it a family sweep by ruling the boys’ 11-14 division with back-to-back 78s for a 156 total, securing his first JPGT title with a seven-shot win over Race Manhit and Jacob Casuga.

“I played consistently on the back nine and my putting was a bit better today,” said Zianbeau, who admitted he didn’t expect to win, especially under tough conditions.

“The wind made it really challenging. But I’m really proud because this is my first win.”

Manhit matched Zianbeau’s final round with a 78 for a 163 total and edged Casuga, who limped home with an 81, in the countback for runner-up honors.