In a final round marked by chaos, collapse, and sheer unpredictability, Florence Bisera emerged as the most unlikely of champions — conjuring a victory that will long be remembered not only for its drama but for the grit and composure it demanded.
Entering the last day of the ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic at the rain-lashed Marapara Golf and Country Club on Thursday, the Davaoeña was barely on the radar. Trailing by six strokes, she seemed destined for a respectable but forgettable finish.
Instead, Bisera produced a late-round display of resilience, poise, and opportunism, firing a 67 to complete a remarkable one-stroke victory over Seo Yun Kim (72) and Princess Superal (74).
“I didn’t expect to win because I was six shots behind after two rounds,” said Bisera in Filipino after clinching her third career title on a 54-hole total of 209, nearly a year after her Match Play Championship win at The Country Club.
“I just told myself I wanted to shoot under par on the final day — that was my only goal. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.”
She credited her putting for the win, one that mirrored Pauline del Rosario’s triumph over Kim at Binitin just last week. Though she missed several birdie chances, her putter came alive when it mattered most, delivering five birdies on a day when sinking putts was more the exception than the rule.
“When play resumed on No. 15, my only goal was to hit the fairway and reach the green because I knew how tough the conditions were,” she said. “But the putt dropped, and on No. 17, my approach landed close enough for me to convert another birdie.”
The final day began under sweltering heat and ended in outright turmoil. What initially looked like a two-woman duel between Superal and Kim turned into a free-for-all as weather delays and pressure-packed mistakes cracked open the leaderboard.
(C) LPGT
Kim, chasing her elusive first win after seven excruciating runner-up finishes, seemed poised to finally break through. She surged ahead by three strokes at the turn after birdies on Nos. 4 and 5, appearing in full control as Superal stumbled with a double bogey on No. 4 and another dropped shot on No. 6.
But as has happened before, the ghosts of squandered chances returned to haunt Kim.
Struggling with club control and shaken confidence, the Korean faltered on the back nine with three bogeys and no birdies. Costly errors on Nos. 16 and 17 proved decisive, reopening the door for challengers just as rain poured down and momentum shifted yet again.
Meanwhile, Bisera had quietly gone about her business one flight ahead.
She ignited her charge early with birdies on Nos. 2, 3, and 6 — an explosive start that signaled intent but still seemed too little, too early. Bogeys on Nos. 9 and 11 threatened to stall her progress, but she regrouped with the heart of a champion.
Despite punishing conditions and the immense pressure of a tightly packed leaderboard, she birdied two of her last four holes, including a crucial one on the par-5 15th. By the time play resumed after the rain delay, Bisera was already in the clubhouse with a superb 67 — the round of the day — and a one-under total.
And then, she waited.
(C) LPGT
What followed was a finish that tested nerves and defined careers. Superal, needing a birdie on the 18th to tie, missed from distance. Kim overshot the green on her approach, salvaged par from a bunker, but it wasn’t enough.
Both settled for a share of second at 210, splitting the combined purse of P147,000. Kim finished with a two-over card, while Superal faded with a four-over round.
Lois Kaye Go, also in contention, faltered late with three bogeys in her last five holes to settle for solo fourth at 212 after a 72. Tiffany Lee surged with a 69 for fifth at 215, while Chanelle Avaricio (71), Daniella Uy (74), and Kayla Nocum (73) rounded out the top groupings.
But the stage — and the story — belonged to Bisera.
With nerves of steel and timing as sharp as her shotmaking, she etched her name into Philippine golf lore with a stunning, against-the-odds triumph that embodied both the unpredictability and the poetry of the game.
From six strokes back to champion. From overlooked to unforgettable. On a week when weather, pressure, and expectations unraveled so many, Florence Bisera stood firm — proving that sometimes, the player who finishes early is the one who finishes best.
