Late eagle nets Mondilla ICTSI TPC crown

TRECE MARTIREZ, Cavite, Philippines – Clyde Mondilla pulled through in a tight, pressure-packed finish and stunned fancied Tony Lascuña and a slew of veteran rivals with a clutch eagle on No. 15 to snatch the ICTSI Tournament Players Championship crown by one at the Sherwood Hills Golf Club here yesterday.

Mondilla’s late-hole brilliance put a perfect ending to ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour’s 2015 season where the young Del Monte ace worked his way back from two strokes down in second-to-last flight with an early burst of birdies then bounced back from a bogey on No. 12 with a birdie on the next and a six-foot eagle off a solid 6-iron second shot from 196 yards to claim the hotly-contested crown and the top P650,000 purse.

“I just hung in there with my iron game and putting,” said Mondilla, whose closing 67 capped a run of under-par scores that included a 70 and back-to-back 69s for a 13-under 275 in the P3.5 million event sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc.

“This is a big birthday gift and I’ll save the money for my future,” said Mondilla, whose winnings were five times more than what he earned when he scored a breakthrough win at Canlubang last year. He turns 22 on Nov. 27.

True to his worth, Lascuña eased out erstwhile co-leader Michael Bibat early and shook off Orlan Sumcad’s gritty frontside stand with a solid three-under card after 10 holes.

But the veteran shotmaker sputtered with a bogey on No. 11 and flubbed a couple of birdie chances down the stretch, including a 10-foot downhiller on the 18th to the delight of Mondilla’s supporters but to the chagrin of Lascuña’s fans.

“I misread the putt and failed to come up with the right allowance to the right,” said Lascuña, who also finished with four under-par rounds of two 70s and two 68s for 276 total worth P430,000. But his bogey and seven pars in the last eight holes typified his final round struggle in the last three legs of the circuit that saw him limp with a 79 on the last day at ICTSI Open at Wack Wack, blow a four-shot lead and lose by four to Miguel Tabuena.

He also faltered in the final day at Central Azucarera de Tarlac Open, carding a 72 and finishing a dismal 12th that cost him the Order of Merit title. Tabuena also took the CAT crown and nailed his first OOM title.

“I actually had a good start and was on target but missed a couple of birdie putts in the closing holes. I gave it my best but that’s golf,” said Lascuña, who has dominated the last three seasons of the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. but had to settle for second overall with the young Tabuena emerging as this year’s No. 1.

ICTSI head of public relations Narlene Soriano awarded the trophies and prizes for the year’s top achievers, including Tabuena, represented by uncle and renowned singer Martin Nievera, who finished the season with P3,051,917 in winnings and took another P50,000 for winning the OOM crown.

While at least four to five players moved in contention midway of the final round, only Lascuña and Mondilla carried the fight into last nine holes with Lascuña keeping Mondilla at bay behind with a birdie on No. 10 to regain a two-stroke lead.

He, however, bogeyed the next, although re-took a two-shot edge as Mondilla dropped a stroke on No. 12. But as Lascuña missed birdie putts on two of the next four holes, Mondilla buried a birdie from eight feet on No. 13 to move within one then surged ahead with that lead-grabbing eagle on the 15th.