Hernandez sparks charge but wavers as Philippines fades to fourth
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines mounted an early charge but could not sustain it when it mattered most, settling for fourth as Hong Kong completed a wire-to-wire victory in the Nomura Cup at the Bayhood No. 9 International Golf Club in China on Friday.
Five shots off the pace after 54 holes, the Filipinos drew within three early in the final round behind Jet Hernandez’s scorching four-under-par 32 on the front nine, briefly rekindling hopes of a podium finish.
But the charge fizzled on the back nine.
Hernandez stumbled into four straight bogeys from No. 10, wiping out the gains he had made on the frontside. The reigning National Stroke Play champion rallied with three consecutive birdies from No. 14, only to suffer another costly setback when he holed out with a double bogey on the par-3 18th for a closing 71.
With Rolando Bregente’s 73 counting, the Philippines pooled a 144 and slipped from joint third to fourth with a four-day aggregate of 570. Shin Suzuki’s 77 did not count.
Hong Kong, meanwhile, saved its best for last, firing a 136 to finish at 557 and beat Japan by four strokes for the gold. Japan carded a 138 for a 561 total, while Korea rallied with a 138 to snatch the bronze at 568.
Hong Kong also swept the individual and team titles, with Markus Lam delivering his best round of the tournament — a 67 — to capture individual gold at 279.
Lam edged Japan’s Kaito Sato, who shot 68 for a 280 total, while Korea’s Jeyi Son took the bronze at 283 after a 73.
Hernandez wound up tied for sixth at 286, while Suzuki finished 23rd at 294 and Bregente was one stroke behind in 24th at 295.
The result marked another frustrating campaign for the Philippines, which had opened the tournament with promise. Bregente led the individual standings after the first round with a 67, while the Philippines began the team competition in joint second.
But the Filipinos gradually lost momentum as the tournament wore on. Bregente, in particular, failed to contribute to the team total in the next two rounds after rounds of 75 and 78, leaving Hernandez and Suzuki to carry the scoring load.
Hernandez appeared to give the Philippines one last chance with his blistering front-nine charge, but the wheels came off on the back nine. His late recovery could not offset the costly mistakes, leaving the Filipinos once again outside the podium in the biennial event, officially known as the Asia-Pacific Golf Team Amateur Championship.
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