Gonzales captures jungolf crown

Katrina Gonzales nipped Ersa Arriola in a sudden-death playoff played under driving rain for the girls Class A plum even as DJ Padilla pulled off a breakthrough win in boys Class B in the Sherwood Hills Jungolf Open, the seventh leg of the Jungolf summer circuit recently.

The 14-year-old Gonzales, daughter of a Prudentialife executive, parred the extra hole against the bogey of her Batangas-based rival to earn her sixth leg title in the series sponsored by Northwest Airlines and also supported by Globe and Skyway.

Padilla, winner of the NGAP age-group crown, fired a one-under 71 in the second round on the way to a four-stroke victory over Gerard Arriola as the other circuit standouts — Justin Tambunting, Nony Negrido and Rhiz de Roca — struggled.

Winning their respective divisions were Korean Woo Ram Suh in boys Class A, Miko Alejandro in Class C, John Kier Abdon in Class D and Joshua Uy in Class E.