Philippines jungolfers stamp class in JGFP World

DAVAO, Philippines — Philippine bets showed their brilliance in sweeping team glory and individual honors in the 8-and-under division of the JGFP World Team Championships at the Apo Golf and Country Club here yesterday.

Andres Jeturian, Lauro Delen, Alonso Fabul and Blake Connor Sy, among the top finishers in the qualifiers, composed Phl 1 that delivered on their billing as the team to beat, pooling a 50-over total in two rounds for a five-stroke win over Go for Gold bannered by girls’ individual champion Stephanie Gan.

Stephanie, daughter of JGFP president Oliver Gan, put together an 80 then an 83, in humbling Japanese Mia Shinohara (85-84) while Ethan Lago submitted a 78 after a first-round 74 to win the boys’ crown by six shots.

Lago bannered the Mindanao team – including Zoey Mascarinas, Zeus Samarro and Kassandra Morente – to second runner-up honors in the 36-hole competition using the four-to-play, three-to-count format.

The all-boys squad of Jeturian, Delen, Fabul and Sy emerged as the 8-U champion in the inaugural JGFP World Championships – their depth and balance proving decisive, with steady contributions across the roster outpacing rival nations in the international field.

But while they fashioned out a wire-to-wire win for team title, the individual honors went to standouts from other squads.

Lago, an incoming Grade 3 at Ateneo de Davao and a bemedaled player in the Philippine jungolf circuit, fired a birdie against three bogeys and two double-bogeys in his six-shot win over Delen and Jeturian.

“I’m happy to win and look forward to winning more,” said Lago, idolizing Tiger Woods.

“I played bad,” rued Gan of her closing 83 marked by seven bogeys and three double-bogeys against only two birdies.

She had an 80 in the first round, and her 19-over total was enough to give her comfortable win over Shinohara (84-169) followed by Mascarinas (88-172), Morente (88-182) and Stella Adriana de Castro (91-189) to round out the Top 5.