SILANG, Cavite – Patrick Tambalque capitalized on Shinichi Suzuki’s mid-round collapse and held steady through a turbulent finish under blustery conditions to clinch a dramatic one-stroke victory in the boys’ 15-18 division, while Gabriela Sison stamped her class in the girls’ side despite a shaky final round in the ICTSI Riviera Golf Junior PGT Championship on Thursday.
Coming off back-to-back wins at Sherwood Hills and Caliraya Springs, Tambalque stumbled early with three bogeys on the front nine of the Couples course. But he steadied himself with a run of pars starting at No. 7, maintaining a slim lead even as Suzuki applied pressure with a gritty 37 at the turn.
What started as a tight leaderboard race soon turned into a virtual match-play battle. Suzuki, who had cut the gap to one at the halfway mark, unraveled with three straight bogeys from Nos. 11 to 13.
That opened the door for Tambalque to restore a three-stroke cushion with five holes to play.
Just when Tambalque looked poised for a comfortable finish, he faltered with bogeys on the final two holes. Suzuki, meanwhile, kept his composure with five consecutive pars down the stretch but missed birdie opportunities on Nos. 17 and 18 that could have forced a playoff.
Tambalque’s closing 78 gave him a 10-over 226 total, just enough to edge Suzuki’s final-round 76 and 227 aggregate — sealing his third win in the Junior PGT series organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.
“I got nervous stepping onto the 18th tee. There was some noise behind me as I swung, and the ball landed in a hazard,” shared Tambalque, who now holds 45 total points — virtually locking up a spot in the Elite Junior Finals set for October 7 to 10 at The Country Club in Laguna.
With Suzuki finding the fairway and eyeing a 20-yard approach shot on the par-4 18th, Tambalque, who had bogeyed No. 17, overshot his third shot under pressure. But Suzuki’s missed birdie attempt from pin-high gave Tambalque the breathing room to close with another bogey and secure the title.
“Nung na-miss niya yung birdie putt sa last hole, ginanahan na ako,” said Tambalque, recalling how his rival’s missed chance reignited his focus. Earlier, he had capitalized on Suzuki’s errors — including a miscue on No. 11 and a three-putt on No. 12 — to regain control.
His biggest takeaway? “Just stay positive and focused, stick to the game plan, and keep things simple.”
Suzuki, winner of the Splendido leg and runner-up at Eagle Ridge, remained optimistic despite his back-nine slip. “I just made too many mistakes on the back nine,” he admitted, though he nearly pulled off a stunning rally.
Zachary Villaroman, the series leader entering the Riviera leg, dropped to second overall with 40 points after finishing fourth with a 79-237 showing. Suzuki stayed in third place with 39 points.
Kristoffer Nadales, who missed the first three legs, kept his Finals hopes alive with a solid 75, finishing third at 233. His runner-up finish at Caliraya Springs boosted his tally to 22 points.
With two more legs remaining — at Pradera Verde in Pampanga (Aug. 12–14) and Pinewoods in Baguio (Aug. 19–21) — Nadales remains in the mix for a Finals berth through a backdoor route.
(C) JPGT
In the girls’ division, Gabriela Sison weathered an erratic round to secure her first victory in the ICTSI-backed series, outlasting her peers in a final day that tested nerves and resilience.
After opening with rounds of 89 and 93, the 16-year-old Kingwood High School (Texas) standout closed with an 85 — enough for a runaway 10-shot triumph over Chloe Rada with a 266 aggregate.
Rada carded an 89 for a 276 total, good for second place, as early contenders Angelica Bañez and Tiffany Bernardino withdrew from the final round. Their absence allowed Ayesha Salino to claim third place with a 365 after shooting a 123.
“My woods and short game were really good today — a big improvement from the first day, which really gave me a lot of trouble,” said Sison, who will be heading back to the US this August to resume her studies.
Though satisfied with her performance, Sison admitted she missed the challenge of competing alongside Rada and Bernardino.
“I like staying in my own head most of the time, but I did miss them. I really wished they had played with us,” she said. “But honestly, it was a little bit easier without them.”
As for what she learned from the experience: “Just keep a positive mindset, and adjust to the wind — it’s not as windy back in the US.”
Next stop: Finals race heats up
Tambalque and Sison joined earlier winners Zoji (7-10) and Zianbeau Edoc (11-14), along with Ronee Dungca (7-10) and Mona Sarines (11-14) on the winners’ list for the fifth leg of the seven-stage Luzon series.
The top four performers in each Luzon age-group category will advance to a Ryder Cup-style finale against the top qualifiers from the Visayas-Mindanao series — a highly anticipated showdown featuring the nation’s most promising junior golfers.
Rafa Anciano has virtually clinched the first finals berth with 45 points, followed by Levonne Talion with 39. Rada, with 30 points after this week’s finish, moved up to third.
Bernardino and Bañez remain in contention with 18 and 12 points, respectively, making the race to the top four wide open heading into the final two legs.
