It all came down to a finish that wins big-time championships, and Clyde Mondilla delivered, snatching victory from the clutches of defeat by topping the ICTSI Del Monte Championship with a 69 in a riveting duel of skills and nerves at Del Monte Golf Club in Bukidnon on Friday.
Mondilla blew a one-shot overnight lead with a mediocre frontside stint but fought back from three down in the last four holes of a day-long battle of shotmaking, iron play, and putting. He stole the victory with a blazing closing three-birdie splurge in sweltering conditions, edging out Reymon Jaraula and Justin Quiban by one stroke with a tap-in birdie on the final hole, much to the delight and cheers of the hometown gallery.
“This win is very special,” said Mondilla, whose 18-under 270 total on his home course was worth P437,500, matching his performance in a five-shot victory over Angelo Que and Dino Villanueva at Forest Hills last June.
“It was actually my goal to win here at home, where I learned to play the sport,” he added. “So I’m really, really very happy and thankful.”
However, unlike his triumph at Forest Hills, Mondilla needed to rally in the stretch, capping his startling comeback with a chip shot in front of the 18th green, which he likely mastered while growing up. The ball bounced once before rolling two feet left of the cup.
Jaraula, who also grew up here, chipped way past the hole and missed a playoff-clinching birdie putt from six feet, finishing with a 69, while Quiban reached the green in two but three-putted for a three-under card.
“I was 3-down with four holes left, so I thought I should at least fight for second place, although I had to do better,” said Mondilla. “But after birdying Nos. 16 and 17, I found myself tied for the lead and I knew I had the edge to go for a closing birdie after I hit a solid drive on No. 18.”
“There was a lot of pressure, grabe. But I was excited because the feeling is different when you know that many people are supporting you,” added Mondilla, who thanked the Del Monte Golf Club and credited his father-caddie Arsenio for his tournament-long help.
“Honestly, my dad is really good,” he said in jest.
Jaraula, who took control with a solid four-under card after 10 holes, bogeyed No. 15 and failed to match any of Mondilla’s closing birdies, missing the chance to force a playoff with a flubbed birdie putt on the 72nd hole.
The runaway Valley leg winner also finished with a 69 marred by a bogey on No. 15, resulting in a second-place finish with a total of 271 after struggling to 21st place at Forest Hills. He received P287,500.
Quiban, two strokes behind Mondilla after 54 holes, fueled his own title drive, also in late fashion, rattling off three birdies in a four-hole stretch from No. 11 to tie Jaraula at 17-under. However, he came undone with a costly bogey on the tight par-4 No. 17 following a missed drive. He also finished with a 69 and took third place with a total score of 272, worth P162,500.
Iloilo leg runaway winner Rupert Zaragosa also closed out with a three-under card and placed fourth at 277, while Jhonnel Ababa, who beat Jaraula by two strokes here in 2019, struggled for an even-par 72 and ended up fifth with a total score of 278.
Sean Ramos also carded a 69 for sixth place at 281, while Jay Bayron rallied with a 68 to tie Elmer Salvador, who shot a 71, at 282. Art Arbole likewise charged back with a 69 for a joint ninth-place finish at 283, along with Tony Lascuna and Dino Villanueva, who both matched 71s, and Zanieboy Gilaon, who carded a par-72.
Mondilla’s victory in the Asian Games-bound thus matched Daniella Uy’s back-to-back title run in the women’s side on Thursday after the duo posted contrasting wins at Forest Hills last June.
Bracing for a highly-charged, no-holds-barred battle with Jaraula and Quiban, Mondilla struggled with a so-so one-bogey, one-birdie frontside start. He stayed in the background with a bogey on No. 13 as Jaraula and Quiban duked it out shot-for-shot and putt-for-putt to stay tied at 17-under after 15 holes.
But Mondilla proved he’s far from finished, drilling a birdie putt on the par-3 No. 16, adding another on the next hole before holing out with that clinching tap-in putt off a solid chip shot.
