Harmie Constantino battled back from six shots down in regulation with a scorching backside rally for a 68 then drained a 12-foot birdie putt in sudden death to foil Daniella Uy and snare the ICTSI Luisita Championship crown in Tarlac on Thursday.
Constantino never really thought she would still contend for the crown after holing out with a 79 in the second round to fall four shots off Uy heading to last 18 holes of the P750,000 championship. She then bogeyed the first two holes in the final round, and coupled with Uy string of pars, Constantino dropped six shots farther back off the leader.
But she birdied No. 5 and gained another stroke on the ninth to match Uy’s frontside 36 then made things happen in the last seven holes, coming through with a flurry of birdies, including three straight from No. 12 before holing out with another to complete a 68 and a 218.
Uy birdied the 10th to pad her lead to five but bogeyed Nos. 12 and 13 in a costly four-shot swing and though she birdied the difficult 17th to regain the lead, the former Junior World champion failed to match Constantino’s closing birdie and signed for a 72 and a two-over overall total.
Constantino then rode on the momentum of her big backside charge, birdying the first playoff hole from an uphill lie then watching Uy crack under pressure with a flubbed downhill putt from just about the same distance to clinch the victory worth P93,750.
“No idea I could still come back from 4 shots down and go into a playoff…not until I reached No. 18 and had a birdie putt. I told myself that this is my last chance of making something,” said Constantino.
She did and the former national amateur champion annexed her fifth career victory, including two at Eagle Ridge-Aoki where she marked her pro debut in 2021 and another couple of wins at Pradera Verde and Villamor last year, while dealing Uy another heartbreak loss.
Uy, who scored a Ladies Philippine Golf Tour breakthrough at Riviera-Langer in 2021, also missed scoring a second win in Iloilo after squandering a huge lead in the final round.
Sarah Ababa carded a 73 to place third at 219 while Florence Bisera turned in a second straight 74 for fourth at 224.
Korean Kim Seoyun, who moved into contention with a second round 70, faded with five bogeys in the first seven holes, limping with a 78 for fifth at 225 while Gretchen Villacencio and Pamela Mariano matched 226s after a 74 and 75, respectively.
Chihiro Ikeda shot a 76 for eighth at 232 while Apple Fudolin and Korean Yang Ju Young assembled identical 235s after a pair of 78s.
