ITALIAN STALLION: Ortolani bags BingoPlus Philippine ADT Open crown

LUISITA — Italy’s Michele Ortolani carved out a breakthrough victory in Asia, displaying nerves of steel under relentless closing pressure to capture the title at the BingoPlus Philippine ADT Open at Luisita Golf and Country Club in Tarlac on Saturday.

The 29-year-old refused to blink in a tense final stretch, draining three crucial birdies down the back nine to finish with a three-under-par 69 and seal a dramatic one-shot triumph as the leaderboard tightened around him in the closing holes.

He held off a surging Su Ching-Hung, who fired a 68 and came charging late, but ultimately fell just short as Ortolani stood firm in the storm.

Starting the day one shot behind overnight Malaysian leader Galven Green, Ortolani seized control with birdies on the 10th and 12th holes before delivering the decisive blow on 16, edging ahead by a single stroke heading into the final hole and refusing to let go.

At the press conference after the awarding ceremony, Ortolani struggled to hold back emotion after ending a 10-year wait for an international win.

“I’m still a little bit speechless,” he said. “Even though I made it look easy, it’s been 10 years since I’ve won internationally.”

He dedicated the emotional triumph to his family, acknowledging their support throughout the long drought.

“So it was obviously for me, my family, extremely emotional, knowing that they were there. I know that I have their support and I’m grateful for that,” he added.

The victory also marked a rare European breakthrough in the region, with Ortolani becoming the first Italian champion since Francesco Molinari won the HSBC Champions in Shanghai in 2010.

Remarkably, Ortolani finished with just three bogeys over the final 54 holes after an opening-round stumble of four, turning early uncertainty into a defining championship run.

Su applied late pressure with back-to-back birdies from the 15th hole, but could not find the finishing surge to overtake the leader and settled for second.

Argentine Franco Scorzato and Green tied for third on 14-under after rounds of 69 and 72, respectively.

Sean Ramos and Angelo Que gave local fans plenty to cheer early, sparking hopes with a flurry of birdies in the final round before stalling down the stretch.

Ramos, who began the day four shots off the pace, briefly moved within one after a fourth birdie on No. 12, but late bogeys on 13 and 17 led to a closing 71. He rued his inability to sustain the hot start, a lapse he will look to address in his next outing.

He finished joint sixth on 11-under alongside Suttinon Panyo (68) and Thomas Plumb (73).