LAUREL, Batangas—In a remarkable display of resilience, skill and poise, Charles Serdenia emerged victorious in a tense back-nine duel against Zachary Villaroman, clinching a four-stroke triumph with a closing 74 in the boys’ 15-18 division of the Junior Philippine Golf Tour Luzon Series I at the Splendido Taal Golf Club here Friday.
Serdenia’s victory was cemented by a crucial two-shot swing on No. 13, which he birdied from 6 feet, marking a stunning fightback from being three strokes down with nine holes to play to seizing a one-stroke lead. He then capitalized on Villaroman’s faltering performance, including a disastrous triple-bogey on the 14th, to secure the win with a 311 total.
Villaroman failed to recover from that costly 7 and ended up with a 79 for second with a 315, while Alexander Crisostomo placed third with a 323 after an 81.
In the girls’ division, Jiwon Lee dominated with a whopping 13-stroke victory over Lia Duque, finishing with a 75 for a 17-over 305 total over 72 holes. Duque faltered with an 82 for a 318 while Anna Fernandez claimed third place with a 343 after an 81.
“This win is memorable. It’s my first time becoming a JPGT champion,” said Serdenia, who turned 15 Thursday, in Pilipino. “I told myself that I wouldn’t let go until I secured the win. Fortunately, I birdied both Nos. 12 (12 feet) and 13.”
“However, heading to No. 14, I was extremely nervous because I was 1-up, so I just decided to aim for the green and two-putt,” he added.
For her part, Lee mentioned that she didn’t expect to win, as her focus was on finishing around 15-over over 72 holes.
“I wasn’t really expecting to win. But I’m very grateful,” said Lee. “I was just trying to keep my score and do better than my previous tournaments. My goal was to finish around 15-over for four days.”
“I didn’t quite meet that expectation, but I learned from this experience, and now I’m confident I can manage my score better in the future,” she added.
The margin of victory in the boys’ division belies the intense duel between the two contenders. Serdenia, trailing by three shots after the front nine, mounted a determined recovery, while Villaroman, who started the day strong, crumbled under pressure, bogeying three of the first four holes at the back and virtually blowing it all on No. 14.
The triumph marked a significant comeback for the Junior World-bound Serdenia, who initially led with a 75 in the first round but stumbled with an 86 in the second, falling six strokes behind Villaroman. But a 76 in the third round, coupled with Villaroman’s 81, brought Serdenia back within one stroke, setting the stage for a thrilling finale.
In the final round, Serdenia’s early birdie on No. 3 tied the scores at 20-over par, but Villaroman responded with his own birdie on the sixth to regain the lead and leveraged Serdenia’s four consecutive bogeys from No. 5 to stay in command by three at the turn.
But bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11 enabled Serdenia to close the gap, and with a birdie on No. 13, Serdenia pulled ahead as Villaroman bogeyed the par-4 hole. This shifted the momentum, and Serdenia kept his composure to finish strong with a run of pars.
While Villaroman rued his wet triple bogey on No. 14, he acknowledged that his double bogey on No. 9 was equally pivotal.
“I was one-under going to No. 9 but made a double-bogey,” said Villaroman, who bladed his 60-wedge approach shot from the rough on the par-4 hole, resulting in a 6.
He then bogeyed Nos. 10 and 11, lost another stroke on the 12th, and shanked his second shot on No. 14 into the water. After taking a drop, he dumped his fourth shot in the bunker and two-putted.
In the girls’ finals, Lee started the final round with a six-shot lead over Duque and extended her advantage with a birdie on the 10th hole, where they teed off. Although she encountered difficulties on Nos. 13 and 14, bogeying and double-bogeying, respectively, Lee’s commanding lead remained unchallenged as Duque faltered with three strokes lost over four holes from the 13th.
Villaroman and Lee joined Vito Sarines and Precious Zaragosa, winners of the 11-14 division, along with 8-10 category champions Ryuji Suzuki and Maurysse Abalos in the roster of winners for the kickoff tournament of the nationwide 14-leg circuit sponsored by ICTSI.
The Luzon series continues with the Pradera Verde tournament in Lubao, Pampanga on May 28-31, followed by the Pinewoods Golf Club event in Baguio on June 11-14.
Ranking points are awarded at each leg, with the top four players in the boys’ and girls’ divisions after the Luzon swing qualifying for the Philippine Junior Match Play Championship at The Country Club in October.
The series, organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc., aims to nurture young talent and promote the sport, operating independently to avoid scheduling conflicts and emphasize a cooperative atmosphere for the benefit of the players.
Three tournaments are scheduled in the Visayas, and four in Mindanao Series where the two players (boys and girls) from each series will advance to the head-to-head finals, spotlighting the nation’s best junior golfers.
