Zaragosa secures Phl Am crown with big lead

MANILA, Philippines - Rupert Zaragosa added another national crown to his growing collection of trophies as he captured the Philippine Amateur Closed Championship title via an emphatic eight-shot romp over Rico Hoey with a 71 at the Sherwood Hills Golf and Club in Trece Martirez, Cavite yesterday.

Zaragosa virtually wrapped up the championship in the third round when he fired a six-under 66 and stormed to a seven-shot lead over Hoey, who failed to launch any threat and even gave up one more stroke in the end.

The 15-year-old Zaragosa’s closing one-under card netted him a 277 aggregate in the four-day tournament in a performance that should augur well for Team Philippines’ bid in next week’s Putra Cup, also set at Sherwood.

“I am very happy,” said Zaragosa, who also won the men’s and boys’ match play titles in 2011 and the Phl Am Junior Closed Championship plum two weeks ago. “Winning just one national title is hard enough. I am very blessed to have won all of them.”

Hoey, the 17-year-old Fil-Am recruited to play for the Putra Cup team, matched par and wound up with a 285 while Jobim Carlos rallied with a 67 to finish third another at 291.

Zaragosa gunned down two birdies against a bogey in the first nine holes then cruised to the win at the back as Hoey failed to mount a last-ditch rally and the rest finished the way they started – struggling.

Jonathan delos Reyes, who will join Zaragosa, Carlos and Hoey in the Putra Cup squad, shot a 71 for 292 while Lloyd Jefferson Go ballooning to a 76 to finish fifth at 299.

Regina de Guzman, meanwhile, fought back from three strokes down to bag the women’s crown by 10 shots over Bianca Pagdanganan with a four-under 68 and a 290 total.

Pagdanganan wilted under pressure and limped home with an 81 and ended up with a 300 while Pauline del Rosario placed third with a 303 after a 71.

The event, presented by the MVP Sports Foundation and backed by Pancake House, Nike, Golf Depot and Pacsports, served as the national team’s final tuneup for the Putra Cup slated next week.