JAVIE Bautista and Mavis Espedido completed their steady rise from contenders to champions, capturing the 11-14 titles in contrasting fashion at the ICTSI John Hay Junior PGT Championship in Baguio on Wednesday.
Bautista staged a brilliant comeback in the boys’ division, overcoming a strong field and a seven-stroke deficit to secure a thrilling one-stroke victory over Vito Sarines after a brilliant 65, while Espedido dominated the girls’ side from the outset, cruising to a wire-to-wire six-stroke triumph over a late-charging Ronee Dungca despite a 74 at the par-69 John Hay layout.
After a third-place finish at Summit Point, Bautista finally broke through — and did so in stirring fashion. Entering the final round seven shots behind Sarines, he trailed for much of the day before unleashing a decisive run of three straight birdies to close, then watched as Jacob Casuga faltered down the stretch.
Casuga had appeared in control, firing a four-under card through 12 holes and rallying from five strokes back to take a lead of as many as three. But costly mistakes — bogeys on Nos. 14 and 16, and a double bogey on the 17th — derailed his title bid.
Sarines kept the pressure on, matching Bautista’s clutch birdie on the 17th to pull even at three-over overall. However, he couldn’t replicate Bautista’s closing birdie, allowing Bautista to seal a dramatic victory that had seemed unlikely after an opening 75.
Bautista’s explosive finish gave him a 36-hole total of 140, edging Sarines, who carded a 141 after a 73, while Casuga settled for a 69 and slipped to third at 142.
“My game was really good, and I’m proud of myself because it was my personal best,” said Bautista, 13, reflecting on his final-round heroics.
“I struggled with my chipping — everything was coming up short — but I managed to put it all together at the finish, including a chip-in for birdie on the 17th,” he added.
Bautista came into the third leg of the Luzon Series well-prepared, having trained at the Junior Asian Golf Academy in Thailand to improve his approach shots, which he said had been the biggest weakness in his game.
“This win means a lot, especially since I dedicate it to my mom, who is celebrating her birthday this month,” said Bautista. He capped his strong finish with a solid 8-iron tee shot on the par-3 No. 18, setting up the winning putt from six feet.
Espedido entered the third leg of the JPGT Luzon Series determined to improve on her earlier finishes — a fifth-place result at Mount Malarayat and a runner-up showing at Summit Point. Despite an opening-round 76, the young standout from Subic Bay surged ahead by six strokes and sealed the victory with a four-over performance, finishing with a 150.
