Shin completes wire-to-wire win

DAVAO CITY — Neither the rain-soaked conditions nor Russell Bautista’s early charge could derail Micah Shin’s march to victory as the Korean-American capped a dominant campaign with a commanding nine-shot triumph in the ICTSI Apo Golf Classic here Friday.

Armed with a seven-stroke overnight cushion, Shin closed with a 2-under-par 70 for a wire-to-wire victory on a 17-under 271 total at Apo Golf and Country Club, pocketing the top prize of P534,000.

Bautista mounted an early challenge, firing a solid 33 on the front nine to trim the deficit to five. But Shin remained composed, bouncing back from a shaky start with birdies on Nos. 6 and 8 to offset earlier bogeys.

Both bogeyed No. 14, but Shin immediately responded with a birdie on the next hole. Bautista, meanwhile, struggled down the stretch, dropping strokes on each of the final three holes to surrender his hold on second place.

“I wasn’t starting well, while Russell was playing really well. I thought that if I didn’t pick up my game, things could get a little tricky,” Shin said.

“But I just kept trying to play my own game and make more birdies. I managed to do that on No. 15 and the final hole, and got the job done,” he added.

Bautista limped home with a 73 for 281, while Sean Ramos birdied the final hole to shoot a 69 and claim solo runner-up honors at 280.

Shin saved a fitting flourish for the 18th, overcoming an errant drive that sent his ball into the rough along the ninth fairway. With tall trees blocking a direct route to the green, he wisely abandoned the heroic option and laid up near the ninth green.

From roughly 90 yards out, he then unleashed a delicate lob shot that landed on the edge of the green and trickled to within seven feet of the cup.

He calmly sank the birdie putt, drawing cheers from the gallery and a roar of approval from the crowd gathered around the clubhouse.

It was a fitting finale to a week of commanding golf, capped by a display of touch and composure that underlined his superiority.

The victory also provided a perfect bookend to Shin’s 2026 Philippine Golf Tour campaign. He opened the season with a triumph at The Country Club Invitational, the circuit’s flagship event, last January, before closing it with another title.

Clyde Mondilla, fresh from his South Pacific victory last week, matched par 72 to finish fourth at 283, followed by Elee Bisera, who shot 70 for 284. Dino Villanueva fired the day’s best round of 68 to grab solo sixth at 285.

Guido van der Valk carded a 74 to drop to seventh at 286, while Angelo Que shot 71 for eighth at 287.

Alex Bisera matched par 72 to tie for 11th at 289 with Jacob Rolida, who closed with a 74. Bisera claimed low amateur honors via countback, denying Rolida back-to-back victories after his South Pacific triumph.

Heavy overnight rains had delayed the start of the final round, giving the course time to recover and allowing maintenance crews to attend to affected areas. But the interruption did little to disrupt Shin’s rhythm.