Two dramatic birdie putts, including an improbable one from 40 feet on the 33th hole — the dog-leg par-4 No. 15 — dashed whatever hopes Murakami had for a big turnaround as Bernis won the hole, the match and firmed up his claim as the best player in the ranks today.
"Hindi naman," said the soft-spoken Bernis after the rain-drenched, day-long duel which he practically dominated after a birdie opening. "Medyo binuwenas lang dahil sa pag-aadjust ko nga ng grip."
Truly, that change gave him the consistency and the confidence all week and his 3 & 2 victory over top seed Marvin Dumandan in the semis Saturday gave him the impetus to beat Murakami and add the title to his DHL-NGAP Open crown he won in Canlubang early this year.
The victory also spoiled Murakami’s bid to nail down a second RP amateur crown after humbling a star-studded field at Wack Wack in 1999 to become the youngest winner of the country’s most prestigious amateur championship.
And except in one stretch in the first half of their marathon duel, it was an all-Bernis show.
The 32-year-old former range ballboy at Villamor, giving away length for accuracy with his 3-wood off the mound, went 3-up after 4 holes, thanks to bogey stints by Murakami on Nos. 2 and 4, settled for a 2-up cushion after the first nine holes, before allowing his Southwoods rival to tie with back-to-back birdies from No. 14.
But that proved to be Murakami’s last crack at glory.
For Bernis let his trusted 3-wood and solid iron play do the talking, closing the first 18 holes with his own version of back-to-back birdies to go 2-up again before adding another one when play was resumed an hour later.
Bernis even went 4-up on their second stint at No. 5, but got slowed down by two bogeys in the next five holes, enabling Murakami to close in again within two holes. But Bernis went 3-up again on his rival’s bogey-mishap on the par-3 No. 12, which Murakami birdied from the bunker in beating jungolfer Laurence Negrido, 2 & 1, Saturday.
Then came the first of Bernis’ two spectacular putts that didn’t only shatter Murakami’s confidence but also frustrated the big Southwoods gallery that included former champions Jerome Delariarte and Angelo Que and noted swing guru Bong Lopez.
Lining up his putt from about 20 feet on the par-5 No. 13, Bernis stroked it gently but confidently, the ball curling from left to right before slowing down on a partly submerged surface before disappearing into the cup.
"Masama lang talaga ang putting, tapos sinuwerte pa siya," said Murakami, who could only shake his head in disbelief after Bernis made that unlikely putt two holes later.
Meanwhile, Dumandan routed Negrido, 4 & 3, to clinch third place honors in the event staged by the National Golf Association of the Philippines.
By sweeping the stroke play (DHL-NGAP Open) and the matchplay (RP Amateurs) crowns, Bernis has got nothing more to prove as an amateur, but the Cangolf bet won’t be jumping into the big league this early, or at this late stage of his career.
What excites him is a first-ever stint with the national team.
"Di pa talaga ako nakapaglaro sa national team. Kaya pagbubutihin ko ngayon," said Bernis, now a cinch to make it to the RP squad along with the likes of Juvic Pagunsan and Murakami.