Bisera posts wire-to-wire win

It was literally Ramil Bisera’s day in the sun.

His sun-darkened skin glistening in the scorching heat, Bisera completed his masterful conquest of local golf’s biggest names with a wire-to-wire to victory yesterday in the P1 million PGAP-Julio Cup golf championship at the Villamor Golf Club course.

The 30-year-old Bisera, never among the favorites when play for the 72-hole event began, didn’t even need a big finish to pull it off as he watched the highly-fancied Robert Pactolerin throw it away with two unforgivable mistakes down the stretch.

Tied for the lead with Bisera after 14 holes, Pactolerin missed the green then three-putted from eight feet for a double-bogey on the 15th hole although he fell just one shot behind as his rival from Davao also made a three-putted miscue for a bogey.

And after Pactolerin had pulled even again with a birdie on the next hole, he virtually lost his bid when he hooked his tee-shot into the hazard. Still, he tried to save the stroke by hitting from a kneeling position but could only salvage a bogey.

Bisera closed out with two regulation pars for a three-over-par 75 that gave the son of a teaching pro his first victory in a 10-year career as a professional. He totaled 285 against the 286 of Pactolerin, who started the round behind by three strokes.

Pactolerin barely missed forging a playoff after an eagle-aided 73.

Bisera received the top prize of P120,000 from the event’s Korean patron Lee Sung Ho, better known as Julio to his friends in the local pro golf ranks, who operates several golf academies in his country. Pactolerin settled for the P80,000 runner-up purse.

"Hindi ako nawalan ng tiwalang mananalo ako kahit noong nalamangan ako ni Pacto. Buo ang kumpyansa ko sa sarili dahil gusto ko talagang manalo,"said Bisera, a cousin of the Ababa brothers and former national amateur champ Lito Saban.

Already four down after he bogeyed the fifth holes, Pactolerin wiped out the deficit in the next five holes capped by an eagle on the par-4 10th hole where he holed a wedge shot from a hundred yards and with Bisera getting a bogey, he found himself leading by one.

The expected rallies of Tony Lascuna and Cassius Casas failed to materialize and they had to settle for the third and fourth spots, respectively. Lascuna shot a 72-291 while Casas had a 75-292.

Juvic Pagunsan nipped Jun Bernis in a three-hole playoff for low amateur honors. Both finished tied for fifth overall at 293 with Bernis shooting a 70 to tie Pagunsan who had a 70.