DAVAO CITY — Denise Mendoza cooled off after an astonishing opening round but still wrapped up a commanding 32-stroke triumph in the girls’ 7-10 division despite a 77 in the ICTSI South Pacific Junior PGT Championship here on Thursday.
Following her startling first-round 64, spiked by eight backside birdies, the 10-year-old Cebuana slowed down with a five-over round but remained untouchable, clinching the crown with a 36-hole total of three-under 141 at the challenging South Pacific Golf and Residential Estates course.
With a huge 23-shot cushion heading into the final round, Mendoza played pressure-free golf, using the last 18 holes to sharpen her yardage control, putting and exploring other shots for future tournaments.
She managed just two birdies against seven bogeys in the humid conditions — far from her 11-birdie blitz from the previous day. Still, her performance was more than enough to beat Del Monte leg winner Soleil Molde by a staggering 32 shots.
Despite her huge lead, Mendoza admitted she still felt the pressure.
“I just tried to stay calm, and my dad comforted me,” Mendoza said.
After a brilliant showing on South Pacific’s unpredictable surface Wednesday, she struggled with her putter in the final round but still emerged victorious in dominant fashion.
She capped her campaign in style, turning a potential lost-ball situation on the 18th into an emphatic birdie.
“It took a while before we found the ball within the time limit. I managed to hit it close to the green and chipped in for a tap-in birdie,” Mendoza added, crediting her short game for her runaway win.
“I had a lot of short putts that helped me secure the victory.”
The Cebu Learning Center standout thus more than doubled her previous best — a 15-stroke triumph over Sistine Yu during the Mactan leg of the Visayas swing last May.
Molde carded an 86, salvaging some highlight with a pitch-in eagle on the par-4 17th, but still finished well behind Mendoza at 173. Francesca Geroy struggled with a 93 to place third at 184.
Sharing the spotlight was Cagayan de Oro’s Jamie Barnes, who continued his unbeaten run in the boys’ youngest division, sweeping his third straight tournament in commanding fashion.