Bautista, Espedido capture 11-14 titles

BAGUIO — Javie Bautista and Mavis Espedido completed their rise from contenders to champions, capturing the 11–14 titles in contrasting fashion at the ICTSI John Hay Junior PGT Championship on Wednesday.

Bautista delivered a dramatic comeback in the boys’ division, erasing a seven-stroke deficit to edge Vito Sarines by one stroke after a brilliant final-round 65, while Espedido controlled the girls’ side from start to finish, securing a wire-to-wire six-stroke victory over Ronee Dungca despite a closing 74 at the par-69 John Hay layout.

After a third-place finish in the previous leg at Summit Point, Bautista broke through in emphatic fashion. Starting the final round seven shots behind Sarines, he trailed for most of the day before igniting a decisive surge of three straight birdies down the stretch.

Casuga briefly threatened after surging into contention with a four-under effort through 12 holes, but bogeys on Nos. 14 and 16 and a double bogey on the 17th derailed his title bid.

Sarines stayed within striking distance, matching Bautista’s clutch birdie on the 17th to draw level at three-over overall, but failed to answer Bautista’s closing push.

Bautista finished with a 36-hole total of 140, edging Sarines’ 141, while Casuga placed third at 142.

“My game was really good, and I’m proud of myself because it was my personal best,” said Bautista, 13.

He said his recovery around the greens proved crucial despite earlier struggles with chipping, including a chip-in birdie on No. 17. Bautista, who trained at the Junior Asian Golf Academy in Thailand, dedicated the win to his mother, who is celebrating her birthday this month.

Espedido, meanwhile, built her victory on consistency after earlier finishes of fifth and runner-up in the series. Her opening 76 proved enough to establish control, as she finished with a 150 total.

Dungca mounted a late charge with a 73 but was undone by an opening-round 83, settling for second at 156.

“I faced challenges, but I was able to recover from my bad shots by bouncing back on the next hole or shot,” Espedido said.

She added that disciplined preparation helped her secure the title.

“I’m very proud of this win because I worked hard for it, and I’m grateful to have made my parents proud,” she said.

In the girls’ 7–9 division, Winter Serapio rebounded from a previous setback to dominate again, finishing 15 strokes clear with a 146 total. In the boys’ 7–10 category, Zoji Edoc also controlled the field with a three-under 135 to secure a six-shot win.

In the 15–18 division, Mona Sarines surged ahead of her twin Lisa after a strong second-round 69, while in the boys’ premier class, Tristan Padilla tightened his grip on the lead with a five-under 133 total.

Meanwhile, in Bukidnon, Davao and South Cotabato standouts also took early control in the ICTSI JPGT Del Monte Junior PGT Championship, with Ethan Lago and Soleil Molde leading the 7–10 divisions and Jared Saban and Brittany Tamayo dominating the 11–14 class after strong opening rounds.