Course familiarity keys Jaraula surge

BUKIDNON — Reymon Jaraula tapped into local knowledge and late-round brilliance to shoot a clutch four-under 68 on Thursday, seizing a one-shot lead over Rupert Zaragosa heading into the final round of the ICTSI Del Monte Championship here.

With a three-day total of 14-under 202, the Bukidnon native catapulted himself from second to first, bringing him within 18 holes of a storybook redemption — and his fourth career victory on the Philippine Golf Tour.

“My advantage here is my familiarity with my home course,” said Jaraula, who turned adversity into opportunity after a bogey start and a costly double on the par-4 13th.

He clawed back with a steady front nine capped by an eagle on the par-5 No. 9, then scorched the closing stretch with three straight birdies from No. 14 to seal a resilient 34-34 round.

“My first six holes didn’t go well. Fortunately, I was able to bounce back in the back nine. I was just trying to relax, thinking that we still have a lot of holes to go.”

Now standing on the brink of another triumph, Jaraula is determined not just to win, but to rewrite the ending of last year’s heartbreak at Del Monte, where he fell just one shot short of Clyde Mondilla. This time, he has the crowd behind him, course familiarity on his side, and a steely focus to match.

“I really want to win here. It’s going to be a good feeling if I will win here.”

But chasing closely is the in-form Zaragosa, who carded a steady 71 for a 203 total and remained well within striking distance of back-to-back PGT titles following his dominant victory in Negros Occidental last month.

Though his red-hot 64 in the second round briefly vaulted him into the lead, Zaragosa grappled with inconsistency off the tee on Moving Day.

“I struggled with my long game so I had very little chances to make birdies,” he said.

But a dependable short game — particularly his pitch-and-putt precision — kept him in contention for the top P623,000 purse out of the P3.5-million total prize.

“Most of the time, my short game carried me through, especially when I scrambled for par,” he said.

Fueling Zaragosa’s charge is something deeper than the leaderboard. He is playing with a heavy heart following the recent passing of his grandfather — a man he considered one of his biggest supporters.

“I really want to win for him,” said Zaragosa, who headed straight to the range post-round to fine-tune his swing. “I know I still have a chance. But I’m not thinking about it. I’ll just do my best and accept whatever the result would be.”