WITH Elite Junior Finals berths still up for grabs in nearly every age group, the ICTSI Eagle Ridge Junior PGT Championship delivered plenty of drama on Wednesday as players battled to keep their championship hopes alive heading into the final round at the Aoki course.
In the girls’ 7-10 division, Jaicee Cervantes and Jehanne Mendoza moved to the forefront after shooting 76 and 77, respectively. Cervantes, fresh off a victory at Beverly Place, birdied two of her first three holes and survived a difficult stretch to take a one-shot lead.
Mendoza recovered from an early triple bogey to stay firmly in contention, while Tyly Bernardino carded an 81 for third place.
Cervantes and Mendoza entered the tournament ranked third and fourth in the Luzon standings and are seeking to join already-qualified Winter Serapio and Andrea Dee in the North squad. Another win by Cervantes and a runner-up finish by Mendoza could effectively secure the remaining Finals slots, while challengers Cecilia Mamauag and Laura Pablo face an uphill battle after opening with 90 and 91, respectively, at the challenging par-72 layout.
“I need to work on my short game tomorrow,” said Cervantes, 9, of Assumption College, who moved closer to completing back-to-back victories.
But after a solid start, she found the greens difficult to read, yielding seven bogeys against just one more birdie to finish with a 40-36.
The boys’ 7-10 division remains wide open as Asher Abad and Drake Matias shared the lead with 74s. Mateo dela Cruz and Kenzo Tan both shot 77, while Kingston Ching struggled to an 80.
Ranked fifth in the standings, Abad needs a victory and favorable results from rivals to earn a Finals berth. After a strong start highlighted by four birdies in his first nines holes, he closed with a two-over card despite two bogeys and two double bogeys.
“My game plan is to just maintain my scoring, block out what the other players are doing, and play my own game,” said Abad.
In the boys’ 11-14 division, Javie Bautista relied on a solid putting performance to fire a 71 and grab a one-shot lead over Chan Ahn, who shot a 72. Jacob Casuga, needing a strong finish to boost his qualification chances, posted a 76 for third.
