NEGROS OCCIDENTAL — Denise Mendoza reinforced her status as the player to beat in the girls’ 7-10 division, while Ethan Lago pulled through in the boys’ side.
But as both cruised to dominant wins in the ICTSI Negros Occidental Junior PGT Championship on Tuesday, focus is now turning to the surging race for the Elite Junior Finals — particularly in the 11-14 division, where multiple players remain in the hunt ahead of the crucial Binitin leg starting Thursday.
Mendoza, a Cebuana standout, built on her opening round 72 and never looked back, completing a wire-to-wire triumph in the 36-hole tournament with a 70 for a 142 total at the par-70-Marapara course here.
She widened her 16-shot overnight lead to 27 strokes at the turn, eventually sealing a 33-shot victory over Ana Marie Aguilar (87-175), with Faith Reosura (99-189) rounding out the podium.
The win, worth 15 points, hiked Mendoza’s total to 45, enough to unseat erstwhile series leader Soleil Molde (42) atop the rankings. With her third win following earlier victories in Mactan and Apo, Mendoza is now firmly qualified for the Elite Junior Finals from 30 September to 3 October at The Country Club.
“My putting was much better today — I felt more confident,” the 10-year-old Mendoza said.
‘There are definitely areas where I could’ve done better.’
“Considering how I played yesterday, I’m satisfied with how I performed today.”
Still, she emphasized the importance of improving her consistency.
“I think I just need to keep working on consistency so I can perform well in every tournament,” added the rising star from Cebu, who rated her game this week an eight out of 10.
“There are definitely areas where I could’ve done better.”
In the boys’ youngest category, Lago capped off an impressive campaign with a nine-stroke triumph over fellow Davaoeño Lucas Revilleza despite a 76 as he pooled a 146.
Revilleza faltered with a 79 for second at 158.
James Rolida of Cagayan de Oro placed third with a 170 after an 87, Tobias Tiongko shot an 86 for 182, and Shaqeeq Tanog struggled with a 96 for fifth at 183.
Lago, meanwhile, celebrated his second JPGT win following an 11-shot triumph in Mactan.
“It feels great. I’m really happy about it,” he said.
The fiercest action, however, may be coming in the 11-14 age group, where a high-stakes scramble is set to unfold in Binitin as players battle for the final four spots in both boys’ and girls’ classes of the JPGT Visayas-Mindanao series.
Bukidnon’s Ralph Batican delivered a powerful statement with a 72-141 to clinch the Negros leg via a 35-shot romp over Miguel Mesina, surging from No. 8 to No. 4 in the rankings. His victory, paired with an earlier win in Mactan, gave him 30 points, just enough to edge past Mico Woo (22) for the fourth spot heading into Binitin.
Mesina carded an 85 for a 176, while Isaac Locsin placed third in the Negros leg with a 181 total after a 93.
With only a few points separating the mid-tier contenders, Batican’s position is far from secure. He’ll need at least a podium finish to hold off potential surges from Woo and other lurking competitors.
Still, he expressed confidence heading into the Finals but stressed the importance of preparation.
“I’m ready for the Finals, but preparation is key. I need to practice hard,” said Batican, who highlighted his round with back-to-back birdies on holes No. 7 and 8.
A shake-up remains highly possible. Ken Guillermo (42), Jared Saban (40) and Marcus Dueñas (36) still need to guard their spots against a hungry field with nothing to lose in Binitin.
In the girls’ 11-14 group, Zuri Bagaloyos from Singapore School Cebu staged an impressive comeback to clinch her first win in four JPGT tournaments this year, rallying from three strokes down to secure a memorable victory with a 73 for a 149.
Bagaloyos had previously placed second in Mactan, third at South Pacific, and fourth at Apo — each performance edging her closer to the top spot.
“It feels good,” said Bagaloyos, reflecting on her five-stroke win over Rafella Batican. She credited her improved long game for the turnaround.
“My drives were very bad on the first day, but they got better today,” she added.
Despite a shaky start, Bagaloyos stayed mentally strong throughout the final round.
“I really didn’t expect to win,” she said. “But I learned that even if your game starts out badly, you just have to stay focused — there are still so many holes to play.”
