Ababa eyes back-to-back

Jhonnel Ababa wasn't supposed to win in Iloilo.

Three shots behind Jeffren Lumbo heading into the final stretch, the veteran knew the odds were stacked against him. But two clutch birdies over the last two holes changed everything, allowing him to force a tie and eventually claim his 14th Philippine Golf Tour victory.

Now, Ababa has a chance to make the unexpected comeback even sweeter.

Fresh from snapping a two-year title drought, Ababa goes for back-to-back championships when the ICTSI Pueblo de Oro Championship fires off Monday, 12 October, in Cagayan de Oro City.

For Ababa, the Iloilo victory was more than a long-awaited return to the winner's circle. It was a victory he considered a blessing.

“God simply gave me this victory. I honestly didn’t expect to win because Jeffren had such a big lead. But God made it possible,” Ababa said in Filipino.

He dedicated the victory to his family, including his late wife, Mailyn, and their sons, John Michael and Samuel.

Unlike his previous triumph at Apo Golf in 2024, when he beat Guido van der Valk in a sudden-death playoff before a home crowd, Ababa's latest victory came from a deficit and against expectations.

That could make him the man to beat at Pueblo de Oro.

But the eighth stop of the 10-stage circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. (PGI) offers no shortage of challengers in the P2.5-million championship.

Reymon Jaraula, the last player to win a PGT event at Pueblo de Oro in 2019, returns to the layout after finishing third in Iloilo. Jaraula edged Tony Lascuña in a playoff seven years ago and will again be among the players to watch.

Lascuña, meanwhile, seeks a rebound after settling for 10th in Iloilo. He joins a strong cast that includes Zaragosa, Lumbo, Van der Valk, Russell Bautista and reigning Order of Merit champion Angelo Que.

Que is chasing his third victory of the season after winning at Caliraya Springs and Summit Point and will be eager to regain his rhythm following a busy stretch of campaigns at home and abroad.

Recent Negros Occidental winner Art Arbole also returns, along with Elee Bisera, Francis Morilla, Jay Bayron and Ira Alido.

Korean bets Kim Tae Soo, Chon Koo Kang and Lee Song, as well as US-based Jeremy Tandoy and Ivan Yabut, add international flavor to a deep field.

Ababa arrives with something the rest of the field would like to have: momentum.

But after the way he won in Iloilo, perhaps he also has something else — faith that the next unlikely victory is possible.