Former junior golf champion John Catalan carded a final round of five-over par 77, capping an impressive performance to finish second overall in Division 1 of the World Amateur Golfers Invitational (WAGI) category of the World Amateur Golfers Championship (WAGC) on Friday, November 10, in Phuket, Thailand.
Catalan compiled a four-day total score of 293, just a stroke behind Finland’s Klimo Hyvarinen, who finished with 292. Mariusz Czerkawski of Poland placed third overall at 296.
Catalan matched the 2017 first runner-up finish of Tonito Payumo in Division 1 of WAGC. However, he fell short of becoming the second Filipino to win the WAGC, a feat Payumo accomplished in 2018.
“Masarap sa pakiramdam knowing that you represented the country well. It was bittersweet, however, because I came up short of winning the championship,” said Catalan, the son of former Acting Prosecutor General of the Philippines and former Chief Prosecutor of Makati City Jorge Galvez Catalan Jr.
“It was a tough tournament because all participants played on four challenging golf courses. We actually played for six straight days, which included two days of practice rounds. Still, it feels good that the efforts were rewarded by making it to the podium,” added Catalan.
A registered nurse in the United States, the 28-year-old Catalan had an opening round of three-over par 75. Then he delivered a 71 the next day and a 70 the following day to move up to the top spot of the leaderboard for a four-shot lead over James Oliver Yeomans of the United Arab Emirates.
However, a pair of double bogeys on 14 and 15 had him at seven-over in his final round score. He finished strong, though, birdieing on 16 and 17 before saving par on 18 to close with a 77. Participants played on four golf courses in Phuket, including Laguna Golf, Red Mountain Golf Club, Blue Canyon Country Club, and Aquella Golf and Country Club.
Hyvarinen, who was five strokes behind going into the final round after rounds of 68-81-71, matched his third round one-under 71 to win the title by one stroke – denying Catalan the title.
Despite falling short, Catalan expressed his intention to come back and try again next year.
“That’s for sure. I will try again next year, go to the qualifiers again, but I’ll make sure I’m prepared, 100 percent healthy,” said Catalan, who dislocated his left shoulder two weeks ago during a practice round.
Other members of the Philippine contingent in the WAGI (via invitation) category also performed well, including Vicky Herrera (28th, Division 2), Joy Bagaloyos (2nd, Division 3), Lian, Batangas Vice Mayor Ronin Leviste (22nd, Division 3), Camarines Sur District 5 congressman Miguel Villafuerte (44th, Division 3), Batangas Vice Governor Mark Leviste (10th, Division 4), Mark Matsuyama (12th, Division 5), and Errol Chua (13th, Division 5).
In the WAGC (players who made the team through qualifiers), Abraham Avena placed 22nd in Division 1, Joseph Oliver Uy ranked 4th in Division 2, John Paul Gutierrez finished 18th in Division 3, Marinelle Sales was 8th in Division 4, and Atty. Marven Pañares 9th in Division 5.
Also, as Team Philippines, the country placed 13th overall, while the tandem of Catalan and Leviste placed 10th, Bagaloyos and Herrera 22nd, Chua and Matsuyama 34th, and Villafuerte and Leviste (R) 48th.
