Crowned Princess

CAVINTI, Laguna — Princess Superal clawed her way back to the top with the grit of a champion and the fire of someone who never stopped believing.

After four long years of waiting, working and wondering if her game would ever return to its former brilliance, the former US Girls’ Junior champion finally broke through, edging Sarah Ababa in a nerve-wracking sudden-death playoff to capture the ICTSI Caliraya Springs Championship crown in dramatic fashion here Thursday.

“It feels great. I’m so happy,” said Superal, finally letting the emotions of a long title drought melt away. “This year, I really feel that my game has improved. I’ve been waiting for this moment — and deep down, I knew I could win again.”

She certainly showed it.

Coming into the final round tied with Ababa and Chihiro Ikeda, Superal played with calm precision, parring the first 13 holes before draining a birdie on the 14th to stay within striking distance as Ababa wrested solo control early with a solid frontside 34.

A bogey on No. 15 momentarily halted Superal’s charge, but she held steady with three straight pars to finish with a closing 72 and a 54-hole total of four-under 212.

It was a score that didn’t seem enough at first — not with Ababa holding a two-shot cushion with two holes to play. But as the pressure mounted, the Davaoeña faltered, dropping shots on Nos. 17 and 18 to finish with an even-par round and fall into a playoff with a suddenly resurgent Superal.

“I just tried to stay consistent and focused on my game,” Superal said.

“I knew there was still a chance if I just kept believing.”

And believe she did — especially when it mattered most.

On their return to the par-4 18th for the playoff, both players found the fairway but came up short of the green. From 12 yards out, Superal summoned the short-game magic that once helped her conquer some of the biggest names in women’s golf ­— including three former major champions en route to the inaugural Asia Pacific Cup title — and clipped a delicate chip to within four feet.

She made the par.

Ababa, some 20 yards from the hole, couldn’t convert her long-range par bid, handing Superal the championship and the top purse of P125,000.

It was a sweet moment for the 26-year-old, who has quietly fought through years of injury and doubt. Once the country’s most promising young star, Superal had spent the last few seasons trying to rediscover the game that once made her a household name in local golf circles.

“I struggled for three years because of injury,” said Superal, who last won at Eagle Ridge in 2021.

“But we just focused on getting stronger, building everything back. Then suddenly, things started to click. I could feel it. I could feel my game coming back — and I held on to that.”

That gut feel — that something was shifting in her swing, in her rhythm, in her mindset — became her fuel.

She credited long-time coach Bong Lopez for helping guide her through the tough stretch, both technically and mentally, and keeping her steady as she rebuilt her game from the ground up.

“I knew I could win again. I never stopped believing — but it’s still a little overwhelming how fast thing turned around,” she added.

Ababa, who looked poised for another title after ruling the Iloilo leg last year following a solid 34 at the turn and a key birdie on No. 16, couldn’t recover from late bogeys and settled for second and P82,000.

Florence Bisera birdied the final hole to cap a third straight 71 and finish solo third at 213, just a shot off the playoff, while last year’s champion Harmie Constantino carded a 72 behind an up-and-down backside of three birdies against three bogeys for a 214, good for fourth.

Tiffany Lee surged with a 70 to grab fifth at 215.

Ikeda crumbled with a 76 after an error-filled frontside 40 and dropped to sixth at 216, while Mafy Singson (71), Korea’s Seo Yun Kim (73) and Martina Miñoza (74) shared seventh at 217.

But the day — and the stage — belonged to Superal.

A player once feared for her poise and precision, she now returns to the winner’s circle not just as a comeback story, but as a force to reckon with once more.