BAGUIO CITY — Nine-year-old Ronee Dungca didn’t just sneak into the ICTSI Elite Junior Finals — she stormed in, capping her late-season charge with a share of the top spot in the girls’ 7-10 age group after carding a 71 in Wednesday’s rain-hit John Hay JPGT Championship.
Dungca, who missed the first four legs of the seven-stage Luzon swing, had to climb uphill all season. But when she finally got going, she was unstoppable. The Angeles City native swept the last three legs to pile up 45 points — matching Mavis Espedido’s total — and earn a ticket to the finals of the nationwide, Ryder Cup-style series that pits Luzon’s best against Visayas-Mindanao qualifiers this October at The Country Club in Laguna.
Her closing two-over round gave her a 36-hole total of 143, good for a 12-shot win over Tyra Garingalao of Cavite (75–155). Local bet Amiya Tablac of Baguio ended up third at 163.
For Bulacan’s Venus delos Santos, however, it was heartbreak. She tried to recover from a disastrous opening 92 with a solid 74, but Dungca’s fiery surge locked her out of the finals. Winter Serapio and Garingalao grabbed the last two berths with 37 and 36 points, respectively, while delos Santos bowed out with 34.
Dungca’s round wasn’t all smooth sailing. She started hot with three early birdies, only to stumble with a double bogey on No. 4 and more dropped shots on Nos. 6 and 9. She bounced back with birdies on 10 and 12, but her nemesis, the par-5 16th, bit her again with another double bogey.
Then came the storm. Just as she reached the final hole, heavy rains lashed the John Hay course, forcing organizers to suspend play in the older age groups for more than an hour. With puddles forming on fairways and greens and visibility dropping fast, the young golfers had to grind it out. Dungca bogeyed the last but held her nerve to finish tied on top, punching her ticket to Laguna.
In the boys’ 7-10 division, Zoji Edoc underlined his dominance with a second straight 71 for 142, 10 shots clear of Baguio’s Marco Angheng. Edoc, a bronze medalist at the recent Junior World Championships in San Diego, was also the “winningest” player in the Luzon swing with four leg victories. He and Zach Guico shared top finals seeding with 45 points each, while Asher Abad and Halo Pangilinan completed the finalists list.
The drama peaked in the boys’ 11-14 class. Vito Sarines came alive after a rain delay, reeling off clutch birdies on 16 and 17 to edge Zianbeau Edoc by one with a 67 for 135. Edoc, who had led most of the way, faltered with a bogey on 17 despite a brave birdie on 16, finishing at 136.
Sarines and Edoc will join Ryuji Suzuki in the finals, but their surge meant heartbreak for Race Manhit. Manhit fired the day’s best round, a sizzling 66 with four birdies in his last eight holes, but his first-round 73 proved costly. He finished third at 139 and just shy of overtaking absentee Jacob Casuga in the points race.
In the girls’ 11-14 division, Makati’s Lisa Sarines held off her twin sister Mona in another tight sibling battle. Lisa closed with a 69 for a 138 total, edging Mona by one after the latter slipped with a 73. Both had already secured finals slots earlier, along with Kendra Garingalao and Alexie Gabi.
Meanwhile, the boys’ 15-18 bracket saw a surprise leader emerge in Andres Fabie, who shrugged off the wet conditions to post a one-over 70.
His eagle on the par-4 eighth highlighted the round, though a closing double bogey left him clinging to a one-shot lead over Jakob Taruc (72–148). Pre-tournament favorite Alonso Espartero stumbled with a 78 to fall behind at 154.
And in the girls’ premier 15-18 category, it was all Rafa Anciano. The Mandaluyong bet opened up a 15-shot lead after a 74 for 151, way ahead of Makati’s Tiffany Bernardino (166) and Chloe Rada (173).