Superal, Gandionco rule Montecillo jungolf

MANILA, Philippines - Princess Superal captured the girls’ Class A crown despite a closing four-over 76 while Gio Gandionco made it a twin kill by bagging the boys’ title with a one-over 73 at the close of the second Montecillo Junior Golf Championship at Orchard’s Palmer course in Dasmariñas, Cavite yesterday.

Superal wound up with a 291 total in 72 holes to beat Thailand’s Benyapa Niphatsophon, who came through with a three-over-par 75 for 297.

Gandionco, who anchored Cebu Country Club’s title romp in the recent PAL Interclub in Davao, had an aggregate of 288, two better than Taiwan’s Wang Wei-hsiang’s 74 and 290.

Superal, runner-up in this year’s Philippine Ladies Amateur Open, struggled all day but cashed in on a big overnight seven-stroke cushion to clinch the win in the four-day tournament organized by the Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines.

She made a bogey on No. 10 where she teed off. Though she hit a birdie on the next, the top ICTSI-backed bet dropped strokes again on Nos. 12 and 14.

She failed to check her skid at the front, making a double bogey on No. 2 and losing another shot on the third before holing out with pars the rest of the way.

But Superal fell short of her sweep bid as she and partner Bianca Pagdanganan of Team Philippines II lost in the team competition against the Thailand’s of Benyapa and Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras.

Pagdanganan made a 77 as Team Phl II pooled a 153 for a 598, losing by one to the Thai girls, which had a 149 and 597 in the team championship sponsored by ICTSI, Pancake House, Hidden Springs, Julie’s Bake Shop, Inquirer Golf, Friends of JGFP, Duty Free Phils., R&A, and National Golf Association of the Philippines.

Gandionco and teammate Raymart Tolentino of Team Phl II also yielded the team title to Chanachok Dejpiratanamongkol and Sarit Suwannarat of Thailand in the event backed by Teriyaki Boy, Sizzling Pepper, Philippine Airlines, Pioneer Insurance, and McDonald’s.

The Gandionco-Tolentino tandem made a 151 for 594, seven down from the 587 of Chanachok (76) and Sarit (73), who combined for a 149.

The other winners were Christopher Popp (73-224) and Mikhaela Fortuna (76-231) in Class C and Josh Jorge (78-235) and Bernice Olivares-Ilas (71-216) in Class D.