Gutsy performance: Avaricio edges Lee by 1, lifts South Pacific trophy

DAVAO CITY — Chanelle Avaricio silenced a crowded title chase with an early eagle, then leaned on her precision, patience and steely resolve to thwart Tiffany Lee’s blistering backside charge and capture the ICTSI South Pacific Classic by one here on Thursday.

In sweltering conditions at the South Pacific Golf Club, Avaricio delivered a closing three-under 69 for an eight-under 209 total, capping a gutsy performance in a fiercely contested 54-hole championship that demanded as much mental toughness as shot-making brilliance.

What appeared headed for a runaway victory quickly turned into a nerve-wracking battle down the stretch, as Avaricio’s early four-shot cushion evaporated under the combined weight of a costly miscue and Lee’s relentless charge. The two traded blows in a gripping finish that once again underscored the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour’s penchant for last-hole drama.

Both appeared to wilt under the mounting pressure. They each missed the green on the closing par-5 18th and settled for bogeys, allowing Avaricio to clinch a one-stroke victory worth P142,250.

Lee misjudged her pitch, sending the ball past the cup, then failed to get up and down from 12 feet. That effectively eased the pressure on Avaricio, who also missed her par putt from eight feet.

After winning by two strokes over Yvon Bisera at Pueblo de Oro last week, Lee settled for runner-up honors with a 70 for a 210 total worth P102,500. The setback did little to diminish her growing reputation, instead reaffirming her status as one of the players to watch on tour.

“I really played well at the front — one eagle and three birdies. But at the back, I didn’t make any birdies and instead bogeyed two of the par-5s. Overall, though, I think I played well,” said Avaricio, who had trouble recovering from the bunker on her first bogey and then missed the green on the final hole, leaving her pitch shot short before missing the putt.

Despite seeing her lead dwindle as Lee mounted a late challenge, Avaricio kept her composure to secure the victory. While the pressure was evident, she refused to let it dictate her game.

“I won’t say threatened, but, of course, a part of me wanted to win. I was a bit worried and felt the pressure because I was nine-under after the front nine and holding a four-shot lead. But then Lee birdied No. 12 while I bogeyed it. Naturally, I felt a little anxious, but I knew I had to stay composed. I just tried to stay in the moment and kept telling myself, ‘Whatever happens, you’re doing your best,” she said.

While the finish may not have been as smooth as she had hoped, Avaricio did enough to emerge victorious once more, adding another milestone to an already impressive season. The latest triumph, which came after ruling Pinewoods and Summit Point legs, marked the 10th victory of her career, a feat she welcomed with gratitude rather than comparisons to her previous wins.

“I’m really grateful and happy for this win,” Avaricio said, choosing to savor the moment instead of weighing the significance of this victory against the others.

With the Apo Classic set to take center stage next week, Avaricio is already looking ahead to another opportunity to extend her winning run and claim the 11th victory of her career.

Harmie Constantino rallied with a 68 to claim third place at 212, while Bisera failed to mount a final-round charge on her home course, settling for a 72 and fourth place at 213. Rev Alcantara followed in fifth with a 215 after carding a 74.

Daniella Uy, whose fiery backside charge of 31 in the second round powered her to a 67 and forced a three-way tie at the top with Avaricio and Lee, could not recover from a shaky front nine of 39. She wound up with a 76 to slip into a tie for sixth at 216 with Chihiro Ikeda, who carded a 70.

Avaricio looked firmly in control after blazing through the front nine in 31, highlighted by an eagle on No. 2 and birdies on Nos. 4, 7 and 9. But the momentum shifted when she bogeyed the par-5 12th, opening the door for Lee, who found her range at precisely the right time.

Lee caught fire with three birdies in a five-hole stretch from No. 12, transforming what had looked like a comfortable Avaricio cruise into a tense duel where every shot carried the weight of the championship.

With her lead under siege, Avaricio refused to blink. She steadied her game, matched Lee’s par-bogey finish and denied her pursuer the opening she needed to force a playoff.

The closing stretch became a test of nerve rather than a birdie barrage, and Avaricio passed with just enough to spare, sealing a one-shot triumph after seeing her once-commanding advantage reduced to the slimmest of margins.

It was a victory forged in two contrasting halves: an explosive front nine that put her in the driver’s seat, and a composed finish that kept Lee at bay when the pressure peaked.