STA. ROSA, Laguna – Brittany Tamayo and Race Manhit each posted impressive one-under-par 71s in the scorching and challenging conditions at The Country Club here on Wednesday to secure the top seeding in the 10-12 age division during the 18-hole stroke play phase of the ICTSI Junior PGT Match Play Finals.
However, the real competition begins Thursday as all four divisions for boys and girls set the stage for intense match play battles that will test not just power and skill, but also mental fortitude on the demanding course.
Tamayo, who hails from South Cotabato and trains at the Brittannika Golf Course, upset the tournament favorites in the girls' division. She overcame a shaky 39 on the front nine with a powerful stretch of four birdies in the first five holes on the back nine, including three consecutive birdies starting at No. 10.
She finished strong, parring the final four holes to secure a 71, earning her the top seed for a quarterfinal clash with No. 8 Chelsea Ogborne, who carded a 119.
Mandaluyong’s Aerin Chan followed with a 78 for the second seed and will face No. 7 Casedy Cuenca, who scored a 97. Other matchups include No. 3 Rafella Batican (79) versus Quincy Pilac (84), and Maurysse Abalos (80) versus Kelsey Bernardino (84) in the quarterfinals.
The 12-year-old Tamayo, a student at Notre Dame Marbel University, remained humble about her comeback but expressed determination for the head-to-head phase.
"I will focus on my game and play for par," she said.
On the boys' side, Manhit from Pasig secured the top ranking with a steady performance on a course he calls home.
The Ateneo grade-schooler broke a one-birdie, one-bogey streak on the back nine by carding two consecutive birdies from No. 1, although a bogey on the tough par-4 ninth hole tempered his 35-36 scorecard.
His 71, however, was enough to edge Ralph Batican, who finished with a 73. Ryuji Suzuki (74) and Vito Sarines (75) secured the third and fourth spots, respectively, followed by Jared Saban (79), Javie Bautista (82), and Inigo Gallardo (84).
Unfortunately, Kurt Flores had to withdraw due to injury after six holes, giving Manhit a free ride to the semis, while Saban and Sarines fight it out in the quarters, while Suzuki faces Bautista, and Batican tangles with Gallardo.
“Technically, there's no advantage except maybe being familiar with the course,” said Manhit, 11. “But without that, we're all on the same level. I'll practice and prepare for whoever my opponent is.”
Meanwhile, the Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. made the day extra special for several "lucky" participants, including girls’ 8-9 topnotcher Athena Serapio, who took home a PlayStation 5 during an exciting raffle draw.
The draw added a fun twist to the three-day event, which capped off a five-month nationwide series sponsored by ICTSI aimed at discovering and nurturing golf talents, particularly from the countryside, while offering them a unique platform to enhance their skills.
Among the other top prizes were Apple Watch, Nintendo Switch, Samsung Galaxy Tablet and Ultimate Ears Bluetooth Speaker, further elevating the excitement and making the event memorable for all participants.
In the premier boys' 16-18 division, Mark Kobayashi led the field with a 76 to claim the top seeding, followed by Aldrien Gialon (78), Zachary Villaroman (79), and John Rey Oro (79). Patrick Tambalque (80), Simon Wahing (81) and John Paul Oro (83) rounded out the top seeds.
Meanwhile, in the girls’ 16-18 division, Cagayan de Oro’s Ally Gaccion shook off a late double-bogey to post a 72 and claim the No. 1 spot. She will face Necky Tortosa, an inspiring one-armed golfer from Iloilo, who shot 114.
Southwoods’ Lia Duque, who scored an 81, will face Rhiena Sinfuego (109), while Crista Miñoza (83) and Rafa Anciano (94) will battle in the quarters. Apple Gotiong (90) will take on Angelica Bañez (92) in the other pairing.
In the girls' 13-15 category, Laguna’s Precious Zaragosa, Mona Sarines from Silang, Cavite, and Cagayan de Oro’s Zero Plete matched 78s for a triple tie for first. But Zaragosa took the No. 1 spot in the countback with Sarines finishing at No. 2 followed by Clete. The quarterfinals will also feature Lisa Sarines (79), Levonne Talion (83), Johanna Uyking (83) and Rane Chiu (84).
In boys’ 13-15, Davao’s AJ Wacan matched par 72 to emerge No. 1 with Clement Ordeneza from Bukidnon carding a 76 for No. 2, followed by Luciano Copok (77), Jose Carlos Taruc (78), John Paul Agustin, Jr. (81), John Majgen Gomez (81) and Nyito Tiongko (83).
The 8-9 division saw plenty of drama as Serapio secured the top seeding with a long par-saving putt on the difficult No. 18 to post an 85, followed by Eliana Mendoza (89) and Francesca Geroy (91) as the troika advanced to the semis set tomorrow (Friday).
Tyra Garingalao (93) and Amiya Tablac (110) dispute the last semis seat today (Thursday).
In the boys' division, Cebu’s Kvan Alburo lived up to expectations with an 85 to take the No. 1 spot, followed by Michael Ray Hortel II (95), Tobias Tiongko (98), James Rolida (105), Jesus Yambao (114) and Shaqeeq Tanog (123).
Meanwhile, spots in the three other categories were still being disputed at presstime via 18-hole playoffs, including in 13-15 pitting Inno Flores (86) and Matthias Espina (96) (boys) and Tiffany Bernardino (86) and Alexie Gabi (92) (girls) and in boys’ 16-18 between Francis Slavin (90) and Cliff Nuñeza (98).