A dream fulfilled: Arbole finally breaks through after Negros victory

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL — Fourteen years of waiting, one disastrous hole and a furious comeback later, Art Arbole finally had the moment he had chased for most of his professional career.

And when it finally came, it came with the kind of drama worthy of a long-awaited breakthrough.

Arbole blew a one-stroke lead with an errant drive on the fourth hole, plunged two shots behind Jhonnel Ababa after a disastrous 7, then watched several proven winners close in as the pressure mounted in the ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic at the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club here Thursday.

Instead of folding, however, the journeyman found another gear. He answered the setback with a remarkable run of birdies, steadied himself as the challengers faded, and overcame a late miscue to fire a gritty 70 — finally securing the championship he had waited 14 years to win with a gutsy 21-foot par-saving putt on the 18th.

Arbole finished at 10-under 270, one shot ahead of Jeffren Lumbo, whose closing 67 rally fell just short at 271, and two clear of Ababa, who faltered late with a 71 to finish at 272. The victory gave Arbole his first Philippine Golf Tour title, ending a drought that had stretched across most of his professional career.

“Thank you, Lord. I really prayed for this win. My birthday is coming up on September 29, so He truly granted it. It feels so good that He gave this to me,” said Arbole, who turns 36 next week.

His victory looked anything but certain after the disaster on No. 4, where he drove out of bounds. His second drive struck a tree, forcing a punch-out, before he reached the green in five and eventually made a 7. As Ababa birdied the same hole, Arbole went from one ahead to two behind in a matter of minutes.

“It felt like everything just shut down after I went out of bounds,” he recalled.

But rather than allowing frustration to take over, he stuck to his routine and focused on the holes ahead.

“Just keep fighting. Just keep fighting.”

After dropping another stroke on No. 8 and falling three shots behind, Arbole began his charge with a birdie on the ninth, followed by another on No. 10. He added birdies on Nos. 12 and 14, transforming a three-shot deficit into a two-shot lead in a breathtaking turnaround.

“I just hung in there and stayed focused. I never let those early setbacks shake my mindset,” said Arbole, who also trusted the putting and feel on the greens that had kept him in contention.

The quality of the players chasing him made the comeback even more remarkable. Ababa, a former Order of Merit champion and winner of the 2024 Apo tournament, stayed within striking distance but dropped another shot on No. 11 and later bogeyed the 17th.

Lumbo, winner of the South Pacific leg last year, briefly joined the battle at nine-under after birdieing No. 10 but could manage only pars over the final eight holes.

Multi-titled Zanieboy Gialon also made a move with a 33 on the front nine, only to see his challenge fade into a string of backside pars. He finished with a 68 for solo fourth at 273.

Defending back-to-back champion Rupert Zaragosa threatened to turn the tournament into a four-man shootout after three straight birdies from No. 7 put him within one shot of the lead at eight-under. But a bogey on No. 13 sent him four shots back, and bogeys on the final two holes dropped him to fifth at 275 after a 70.

One by one, the proven winners who had threatened to deny Arbole his long-awaited breakthrough fell away.

Arbole did not.

With a one-shot lead heading into the 72nd hole, Arbole chose aggression on the par-5, pulling out his 3-wood instead of laying up with a rescue club. He pulled the shot toward the adjacent No. 1 fairway, leaving himself a difficult third shot with trees blocking his path to the green.