Shinichi Suzuki recovered from a stumble out of the gates on a damp Saturday and, once he got going, gave Rolando Bregente no chance in their much-anticipated title clash in the NGAP National Match Play Championship.
Eight birdies over the last 16 holes of their opening trip around rain-dampened Luisita Golf and Country Club in Tarlac gave the Filipino-Japanese an imposing 7-up lead at the halfway break of the 36-hole finale. Suzuki then put Bregente out of his misery with an 8&7 victory, securing his first national title.
Grace Quintanilla, meanwhile, added a second straight national title in less than a month after outlasting Precious Zaragosa, 1-up, in a ladies’ final that nearly needed all 36 holes to settle.
Holding a 3-up lead with three holes to play, Quintanilla — who entered the knockout stages as the No. 1 seed — hung tough. A routine par on the 36th hole proved enough to clinch the victory and end Zaragosa’s giant-killing run.
Zaragosa, the 15-year-old whose older brother Rupert is a many-time Philippine Amateur champion, won the picturesque 17th hole on both trips there but fell just short of claiming her first national ladies’ title.
The 19-year-old Texas State University standout Quintanilla added the championship to the Singapore Amateur Open (stroke) title she won last July 18 at the Bukit course, underscoring the sharp form she is currently enjoying.
“I am just very happy to have played the way I did,” Suzuki, the 18-year-old playing out of Manila Southwoods, said after his runaway win, which was highlighted by an eagle on their second trip to No. 5 that effectively snuffed out Bregente’s fight. “I had a really bad start and just worked on getting back.”
A member of several national teams since his mid-teens, Suzuki opened with a bogey and double bogey to trail early before catching fire on a chilly morning and taking control. Bregente never found his rhythm and settled for second place after entering the knockout stages as the No. 1 player following the classification round.
“I just had this great mindset since the week began,” Suzuki, who entered the KO stages as the second seed, continued. “I guess you could say that match play is my specialty. I just love playing these matches.”
“Shin played really well. Congrats to him,” the 24-year-old Bregente said, showing class while paying tribute to how well his conqueror played. “He was in a complete zone. He was totally dialed in. Anyone would have had a really tough time beating him today.”
