Que, Delariarte clash for RP amateur title

Angelo Que ripped Artemio Murakami in the closing holes to get his revenge yesterday and Jerome Delariarte nipped Marlon Dizon at 18 to get into his first Philippine amateur finals.

Que forced Murakami to concede the 17th hole after a three-wood drive, a sandwedge second shot and a 10-footer for birdie for a 2 and 1 semifinal triumph.

A hole earlier, he canned an eight-footer for birdie and a one-hole lead that turned the 18-hole match around.

"At last, I got my revenge," Que said as he received pats on his wide back from well-wishers, including Rod Feliciano, president of the organizing National Golf Association of the Philippines and NGAP treasurer Alice Andrada.

Que, of course, was referring to his 2 and 3 loss to Murakami in the finals of last year's finals at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club's west course.

Dizon had a shot to extend the match at 18 but he muffed a 10-foot downhill putt where his ball kissed the cup's lip and stayed out.

Then Delariarte cooly sank a pressure-packed three-footer at 18 then pumped the air with his clenched right fist to stress his elation of reaching his first finals in his second try.

"I have a good player for an opponent so I have to play good tomorrow," Delariarte, 21, said with Que's hearing distance.

"You can say that again, buddy," Que shot back with a smile.

Murakami, who won the 1999 title at 16, was visibly disappointed by his defeat. When a sportswriter asked him what was bad with his game, he answered: "Walang masama sa laro ko." He then turned his back.

Que might as well have echoed Murakami's assessment.

He birdied the very first hole and he was on his way. Murakami made a par to win the next hole but Que won the third with a birdie and the fifth with a par.

Murakami refused to give up as he won the seventh and eighth holes to tie again. Then they halved the next five holes up to the 13th. Murakami even went one up with a birdie at 14.

Then came Que's heroics on 15 and 16 and his dethronement of Murakami at 17. Murakami missed the green then went over it the next time around. He gave Que a nod as a sign of surrender.

Dizon birdied the third from four feet then parred the next to go two up but Delariarte got a bird at six to cut the deficit. Again Dizon went two up with a par at seven but lost the ninth on Delariarte's birdie.

Que reached his second straight finals by whipping Balty Baltazar in the round of 16 6 and 4, and Juvic Pagunsan in the quarterfinals 1 up.

For Delariarte's romp to the top he beat Cookie La'O after 26 holes and 1989 losing finalist Iggy Clavecilla 4 and 3.

Today's finals will consist of 36 holes -- 18 in the morning and the final 18 in the afternoon.