Medalla, Legaspi combine to top Thai Singha jungolf

MANILA, Philippines - Multi-titled Miya Legaspi and Felicia Medalla overcame a sluggish start with a solid finish to post a nine-stroke victory over host Thailand in the recently concluded 2012 Singha Thailand Junior World golf championships at the Royal Hua Hin course.

Legaspi fired rounds of 77-73-74-73 while Medalla chalked up 81-77-72-75 as the duo carrying the colors of the Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines combined for a 602 aggregate to finish far ahead of their Thai counterparts (611) despite falling behind by seven in the first round.

Indonesia placed third at 628, Australia was fourth at 629 and Taiwan was fifth at 636 in the competition that featured nine countries.

The bespectacled Legaspi narrowly missed a double when she lost in a playoff to Shin Eui Shelly of Australia on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff for the girls Class B individual crown.

Medalla wound up tied for third in girls Class A, nine shots adrift of Thai Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras.

The boys team of LJ Go and Wei Wei Gao didn’t do too well, placing eighth in a field of nine with Australia emerging as the winner.

Missy Legaspi, younger sister of Miya, was fifth and Wei Fang Gao seventh in girls Class D, Gao wound up 11th in boys Class B, We Yu Gao  was 13th in boys Class C and Raymart Tolentino, Gen Nagai and Go 18th and 20th in boys Class A.

It was another strong performance by a JGFP team that produced two world champions in Bernice Olivarez-Ilas and Jed Dy in the Junior World championships last July in San Diego California not to mention so many other victories in the events leading to it.