MANILA, Philippines - Junior World champion Bernice Olivarez-Ilas fired 43 points to power La Salle Zobel to an early eight-point lead in Girls 2 while Ateneo, behind Riggs Illescas, zoomed ahead in Midgets 2 at the start of the ICTSI-JGFP Inter Schools golf tournament at the Aguinaldo and Capitol Hills courses recently.
Astrud Moscoso backed up Olivarez-Ilas with 19 points for a 52-point total that carried La Salle Zobel past the Assumption sisters Andrea and Sarah Pineda, who scored 43 and 11, respectively, at Aguinaldo in the kick-off leg of a series of weekend tournaments that will keep local jungolfers busy for the next four months.
The Ateneo boys, meanwhile, outshone their rivals from La Salle Greenhills with a 91-point aggregate at Capitol Hills with Illescas carding 51 points and Miles Conding contributing 40 in the event backed chiefly by the International Container Terminal Services, Inc. with the support of the Pancake House Group and Philippine Airlines.
LSGH fell behind by 16 points as Joshua Blanco managed 42 and Pere Ticzon shot 33. La Salle Zobel, getting 45 from Ilas’ younger brother Miguel, was third at 68, Xavier fourth at 65, Ateneo 44, La Salle Zobel 2 and Xavier 2 tied at 37 and Xavier 3 at the bottom with 14.
Illescas assumed the solo lead in the Midgets 2 individual race, up by six over Ilas. Blanco and Conding was third and fourth while Perry Bucay of Xavier was fifth with a 34.
The tournament, organized by the Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines and featuring 250 of the country’s jungolfers, resumes Sunday with the Midgets 1 (Grades 5-7) and Seniors players (college boys) taking their turn at Capitol and Intramuros, respectively.