Jet Hernandez moved within one round of successfully defending his men’s crown in the NGAP National Stroke Play Championship after firing an eagle-aided three-under 69 to stretch his lead to a commanding 18 strokes entering Saturday’s final round.
Meanwhile, 14-year-old Lisa Sarines continued her breakout campaign, taking another giant step toward the women’s title with a 69 of her own to build a massive 15-shot advantage over Tashanah Balangauan.
The two frontrunners maintained the separation they established through the first two rounds, leaving the rest of the field well behind. Sarines, in particular, is now on the verge of capturing the biggest title of her young career.
Hernandez heads into the final round with a 17-under-par aggregate of 199, putting himself in position for one of the most dominant victories in tournament history. A win would also give the 21-year-old his second National Stroke Play Championship title in the last three years before he shifts his focus to the Match Play Championship at Luisita next week.
“I’m not hiding the fact that I really am looking to win both,” the 21-year-old Hernandez said when asked about next week. “But I still have to take care of business (in the final round). I still have to go out there and play well.”
Rolando Bregente struggled once again in the third round, carding another 75 to slip to 217 overall. Jacob Rolida, meanwhile, matched the day’s best round with a 69 to tie Jed Dy, who shot an even-par 72, at 219, setting up an intriguing battle for runner-up honors.
Chris Remata remained in contention for second place despite a 74, sitting four strokes behind Rolida and Dy.
“I didn’t think that anyone would be at 17-under after three rounds in this course,” Hernandez said after the Pinatubo layout of Pradera Verde lived up to its reputation, yielding just two sub-par rounds and only three additional even-par 72s on Friday.
“This is the toughest round I played (this week), as most of my pars were grind-out pars,” the incoming psychology senior at the University of Denver said. “The putter saved me again.”
Sarines caught fire with seven birdies en route to her best round of the tournament, raising her three-round total to 211.
Balangauan and Precious Zaragosa both struggled to 77s. Balangauan’s round featured two double bogeys. Meanwhile, the 15-year-old Zaragosa had one double bogey and four bogeys as she continued to search for momentum.
One of the tournament favorites entering the week, Zaragosa has managed just three birdies through 54 holes — one in each round, all coming on the par-5 ninth. Balangauan, meanwhile, was slowed by a four-over 40 on the back nine.
