Jobim, pal cop pro-am crown with routine par

MANILA, Philippines — Jobim Carlos and DJ Padilla checked their skid in time with a routine par on the final hole to foil the Jet Mathay-Alex Etter and Jelbert Gamolo-Rupert Zaragosa pairs in a thriller of a finish and claim the Delimondo National Pro-am crown at Splendido Taal Golf Club in Laurel, Batangas yesterday.

Carlos and Padilla blew an early three-stroke lead and a two-shot edge over Mathay and Etter with two holes to go on a wild, wobbly windup, enabling the two teams, including Gamolo-Zaragosa, to pull even at three-over card overall heading to the 18th. But they proved steadier in the end with Carlos tapping in Padilla’s muffed birdie-putt from 10 feet on the closing par-4 hole for a 76 to complete a wire-to-wire triumph in the 54-hole championship sponsored by Delimondo with a 219.

Mathay and Etter missed forcing a playoff with a flubbed par-putt from eight feet and settled for a 75 for second at 220 Gamolo and Zaragosa struggled off the mound and the bunker on the final hole and hobbled with a double-bogey for a 77 for third at 221.

“When they caught us on No. 17, we didn’t panic. We believe in ourselves that we can do it. And we made it,” said Carlos, who thus nailed his first pro victory worth P360,000 though in team play. The former amateur hotshot missed scoring a breakthrough on his rookie year in 2016 with a playoff loss to Clyde Mondilla in the Manila Masters at Eastridge.

But his pro-am triumph is expected to boost his confidence heading to the resumption of the Philippine Golf Tour in the ICTSI Villamor Philippine Masters on May 23. Padilla took home gift prizes for his feat in the event put up by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

Two-up on Mathay and Etter after both teams bogeyed No. 15, Carlos and Padilla dropped two strokes on the par-4 16th to fall into a tie with Gamolo and Zaragosa forcing a three-way tie with a run of pars of their own.

Mathay had a chance to force a playoff but missed his birdie bid from eight feet and threw his cap on the green in frustration.