Bernis finally ends long title drought

CANLUBANG — No such thing as late win especially for a player hunting for what had seemed to be an endless chase for a breakthrough victory on the amateur tour.

But all these changed yesterday when Jun Bernis finally snapped a long title drought by ruling the ninth DHL-NGAP Amateur Golf Championship with a closing three-under par 69 and a four-stroke win over Juvic Pagunsan and Jay Bayron yesterday here.

The margin of victory didn’t actually reflect the manner by which Bernis toiled and foiled the bids of his more fancied rivals — and in an early stretch by Korean upstart Kim Chang Hoi — as he had to go through some anxious moments before scoring the memorable victory.

He finished with a 278, 10-under par at Cangolf’s north course, four strokes ahead of Pagunsan, whose sizzling round of 66 failed to completely shake off Bernis, settling for second place after nipping Bayron in a playoff with a birdie on No. 10.

Pagunsan and Bayron, who closed out with a 71, both pooled 282.

Kim Chang Hoi, whose steady 68-71-72 rounds in the first three days sparked hopes of a big upset by the 17-year-old Korean player, limped with a 74 for a 285, enabling Buboy Jaraulla to snatch fourth place at 284 after a 68.

"Masayang-masaya ako siempre," was all the 31-year-old Bernis could say as the impact of his first-ever win still had to sink in during the post-round interview.

Happier, not to mention prouder, was his seven-year-old daughter Marian who yelled "Papa ko, Papa ko yan" when his father’s name was called to receive the giant Cup during the awards rites graced by DHL and WWWExpress chairman and NGAP president Rod Filiciano and Cangolf executive director Luigi Yulo.

But he had plenty to share with regards to how he thwarted his rivals’ bids or how they cracked one after the other.

First was Kim, two behind Bernis at the start of another ideal day, who moved to within one with back-to-back birdies from No. 2 only to fall back again with three bogeys on the next six holes.

Bayron, tied with Kim after three rounds, likewise closed to within a stroke after back-to-back birdies from No. 7. But the former national team mainstay, seeking a followup to his runaway victory in last week’s Samsung Amateur Tour at the Tagaytay Midlands, failed to sustain his run and settled for even-pars the rest of the way.

Pagunsan launched an all-out charge from seven strokes down with a stirring birdie-binge at the back — four. But he ran out of holes after moving to within two on No. 15 and after flubbing makeable birdie opportunities inside nine feet on the last three holes, including one on No. 16 which lipped out.

"Matigas talaga," said Bayron of the new champion, whose victory worth P20,000 in gift certificates actually came too late for the soft-spoken player who started out as a range ballboy at Villamor at age 17.

Sharing the spotlight was ace jungolfer Jayvie Agojo, who rallied from four strokes down to post a similar four-shot win and deal Lora Roberto another humbling loss in the distaff side of the annual event sponsored by DHL Express and WWWExpress and held under the auspices of the National Golf Association of the Philippines.

The 17-year-old Agojo, winner of countless jungolf tournaments who lost to former RP Ladies Open winner Carmelette Villaroman in a playoff two years ago here, fired a gutsy 74 on a birdie-birdie finish to pool a 54-hole total of 228.

The ghost of her final round collapses visited her again yesterday as Roberto, who also blew a huge margin on the last day in the recent RP Ladies Open, skied to an 82 for a 232.

Lina de Guzman, who led in the first round, settled for third at 234.