Hanging tough

SILANG, Cavite — Patrick Tambalque capitalized on Shinichi Suzuki’s mid-round meltdown and held on through a turbulent finish in blustery conditions to save a 78 and secure a dramatic one-stroke victory in the boys’ 15-18 division, while Gabriela Sison stamped her class in the girls’ side despite a shaky round in the ICTSI Riviera Golf Junior PGT Championship here on Thursday.

Coming off victories at Sherwood Hills and Caliraya Springs, Tambalque struggled early with three bogeys on the front nine of Riviera’s Couples course. But he steadied himself with a string of pars starting on No. 7, keeping his nose in front as Suzuki closed in with a gritty 37 at the turn.

The title duel turned into a virtual match play down the stretch. Suzuki, who had trimmed the gap to one at the turn, suddenly crumbled with a three-bogey slide from Nos. 11, enabling Tambalque to regain a three-shot lead with five holes to play.

But just when he looked poised for a comfortable finish, Tambalque wobbled again, bogeying Nos. 17 and 18. That opened the door for a potential playoff as Suzuki closed strong with five straight pars but missed birdie chances on the final two holes that could’ve forced a sudden death.

Tambalque’s closing six-over card and 10-over 226 total proved just enough to fend off Suzuki’s final-round 76 and 227 aggregate, giving him his third win in the series organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.

“I got nervous stepping onto the 18th tee. There was noise behind me as I took my shot and it went into a hazard,” said Tambalque, whose 15-point haul boosted his total to 45 points, virtually assuring him of a spot in the Elite Junior Finals set on 7 to 10 October at The Country Club in Laguna.

With Suzuki hitting a solid drive and lining up a 20-yard approach on the par-4 finishing hole, Tambalque, who held on to a two-stroke lead after a bogey on the 17th, felt the pressure mount and overshot his third shot.

But when Suzuki missed his birdie putt from just pin-high, Tambalque regained his composure and closed with a bogey.

“I got excited when he missed the birdie putt in the last hole,” said Tambalque, who earlier capitalized on his rival’s miscue on No. 11 and a three-putt error on the next hole to rebuild a three-stroke cushion.

Asked about the lessons learned, he said: “Just stay positive and focused, stick to the game plan, and keep things simple.”

Suzuki, the Splendido leg winner and runner-up at Eagle Ridge, rued his costly stretch of miscues at the back but remained upbeat, having nearly pulled off a stunning comeback.

Zachary Villaroman, who led the division entering the Riviera leg, slipped to second in the overall standings with 40 points after finishing fourth here with a 79-237 and earning eight points.

Suzuki remained at third in the overall rankings with 39 points.

Kristoffer Nadales, meanwhile, kept his Finals hopes alive despite missing the first three legs. He turned in a 75 to finish third at 233, hiking his total to 22 points, including a runner-up finish at Caliraya Springs.

With two legs remaining — Pradera Verde in Pampanga and Pinewoods in Baguio — Nadales remains in the hunt for a backdoor entry.

In the girls’ division, Sison overcame an 85 to complete her breakthrough victory in the ICTSI-backed series, outlasting her rivals in a final round that turned into a test of nerves and resilience.

After carding 89 and 93, the 16-year-old Kingwood High School (Texas) student closed out with an 85, completing a runaway 10-shot victory over Chloe Rada with a 266 total.