Ready to concede when he teed off on the 17th still three strokes down, Pagunsan watched Zaragosa collapse with a horrifying triple-bogey and then miss two more winning chances in a dramatic finish to what transpired as a one-on-one duel with his longtime buddy.
The day-long shootout ended in their second return to par-5 No. 9 serving as the second extra hole where Pagunsan drained a slightly uphill 10-foot birdie putt off a 90-yard third shot.
Both parred the first extra hole and it proved to be another heartbreaker for Zaragosa whose birdie try from 12 feet – far shorter than Juvic’s 20-foot try – grazed the cup. Another opportunity for a sure victory slipped off Zaragosa’s grip on the last hole of regulation where he missed a four-foot birdie chance.
Carmelette Villaroman-Calimag won the women’s crown with a closing six-over-par 78 (222). She won P10,000 worth of gift certificate and a glass trophy. Heidi Chua came in second.
Pagunsan scored a 75 for a 72-hole total of 290. Zaragosa overcame Pagunsan’s one-stroke lead after three rounds with a 74. Pagunsan won P20,000 worth of gift certificate from the sponsoring DHL Philippines plus glass trophy. Zaragosa settled for P15,000 gift certificate runner-up prize.