Unshaken at the top, Clyde Mondilla can perhaps start preparing for the long break in the Philippine Golf Tour or draw up his next jaunt on the Asian Development Tour.
This comes after the Del Monte ace extended his lead to six in the ICTSI Forest Hills Classic in Thursday, despite posting his “highest” score in three days, a 68, and making his first bogey after 50 holes. His total score of 19-under 194 was boosted by an 11-under 60 start and a second-round 66 at the par-71 Nicklaus course.
Angelo Que attempted to mount an early charge with four birdies on the front nine and continued his momentum on the back nine, finishing with an eagle-aided 33. However, his 64 was only enough to move him from fourth to second place at 200, although he reduced Mondilla’s previous 10-stroke lead over him after 36 holes.
Unfancied Albin Engino bravely held his ground while competing with two of the Tour’s multi-titled campaigners in the featured flight. However, he lost his composure at the finish, dropping two strokes on the 18th hole and slipping to third place at 202 after a 71.
In fact, it was Tony Lascuña who faltered in the featured group. The Caliraya Springs leg winner and four-time Order of Merit champion triple-bogeyed the last hole, finishing with a disappointing 75 and falling from third to sixth place at 207.
Apart from Que, a couple of players sizzled on moving day, but Guido van der Valk’s 65 and Dino Villanueva’s 66 only moved them to joint-fourth place at 205.
That was too far behind to pose a threat with 18 holes remaining in the P2 million event sponsored by ICTSI.
However, Mondilla proved just as determined as the rest, recording three birdies on a par-4 (No. 3), par-5 (No. 6), and par-3 (No. 13) to stay well ahead of the chasing pack. He then sealed his claim on the top prize of P360,000 with a pitch-in birdie from the fringe on the last hole, negating his lone mistake in three days of exceptional play at the up-and-down layout.
However, he remained cautious about his chances and his pursuers, including Que, who positioned himself to replicate his big rally from six strokes down behind Jay Bayron.
That captured the crown in the inaugural Anvaya Cove Invitational in 2015.
“I need to toughen up, handle my lead, and sustain it until the end,” said Mondilla in Filipino. “There’s no room to relax since I can’t control the game of my rivals, so I really need to stay strong mentally.”
He demonstrated his resolve when he ripped the 18th fairway with a solid drive and closed out with a pitch-in birdie after his wedge shot from 80 yards spun back and came to rest on the fringe.
“It wasn’t actually difficult because the line was based on the straight allowance,” he stressed.
His last-hole success came after he made a mistake in club selection while playing the par-3 15th, which would have resulted in another bogey-free round.
“I made a mistake in club selection because of the wind, so my pitch shot went past the hole and the par putt was difficult, around 16 feet away, so I just tapped it in,” he said.
Nevertheless, he pulled away in the standings, although Que is motivated by his impressive comeback at Anvaya Cove eight years ago and is eager to join Mondilla and Engino in today’s final flight.
“I did it (rally from 6 shots down) to win the first Anvaya Invitational,” said Que, who anchored his fiery third round assault with a chip-in eagle from 25 yards on No. 16.
But with his long game in sync with his iron play and putting, Mondilla is confident of scoring his first win since emerging on top of a crowded five-man playoff in the last PGT Asia event at Pradera Verde in 2020.
“Unlike in my previous tournaments, my driving performance in the past three days has been consistent,” said Mondilla, who during the two-month PGT break, is eyeing a spot in two Thailand tournaments on the ADT next month.
“I am currently on the reserved list but sana, makakuha ng slot,” he added.
Meanwhile, the PGT will take a two-month break after seven legs that produced different set of winners with two tournaments being lined up in Mindanao in September.
