Roman Ungco and Ryuji Suzuki seek to produce the same winning result in a different format and venue as Round 4 of the Junior PGT 2023 Series in the drive, chip and putt skills challenge setup gets going Sunday at the Sta. Elena Golf and Country Club in Laguna.
Meanwhile, parents of the competing junior golfers have lauded the staging of the JPGT while emboldening their co-parents and players alike to participate in the series staged to help discover and develop players from the ranks and expand the base of golfing talents in the country.
“We’re so happy to get involved in this tournament. It’s well-organized and managed,” said Arnold Sarines, father of boys’ 9-10 age-group campaigner Vito, Mona and girls’ 11-12 stalwarts Lisa and Mona. “The ratio of the players and the staff is very, very ideal to the point that everything is going well.”
“For all the players and parents out there, we encourage you to join the JPGT series. We’re hoping we’ll be able to grow the sport to the next generation of golfers,” he added.
For her part, Trina Bernardino, whose daughters Kelsey and Tiffany are competing in the 9-10 and 11-12 age categories, said they expect to vie in more JPGT tournaments, which she described as “fun and exceptionally organized.”
“We’re looking forward to joining more tournaments like this so that our children can gain more friends and learn in golf,” said Bernardino.
Ungco and Suzuki topped their respective age-group divisions in boys’ play in the 18-hole stroke play tournament at Valley Golf Club last month with the duo expecting a stiffer challenge from their band of rivals coming off a break in the 11-12 and 9-10 categories.
Jacob Gomez and Aenzo Sulaik, who finished second and third, respectively, in Antipolo, are also back in the hunt, along with Stefano Bautista, Matthias Espina and William Sulit, the top three players in the drive, chip and putt contest the last time out at Mount Malarayat.
Completing the 11-12 roster in the one-day event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. are Lujo Gomez, Matteo Gallardo, Enzo Corpus, Lucas Garcia and Joseph Bernos.
Suzuki likewise braces for a tougher outing in the 9-10 category with Jacob Casuga and Vito Sarines, who placed second and third, respectively, at Valley, going all-out to foil his bid along with top Mount Malarayat DCP challenge finisher Race Manhit, Monte Andaman, Jose Luis Espinosa, Juan Antonio Cruz, Gerard Handog, Iñigo Camposano, Travis Chua and Santino Banson.
The battle in the girls’ 9-10 and 11-12 sides is also tipped to be tight with Georgina Handog, Makayla Verano, Quincy Pilac, Maurysse Abalos, Kelsey Bernardino, Margaux Namoco, Cailey Gonzales, Casedy Cuenca and Melaniya Adiviso making up the cast in the youngest age-group division of the event put up by ICTSI.
Sisters Mona and Lisa Sarines and Tiffany Bernardino, on the other hand, banner the 11-12 field that includes Althea Bañez, Keira Que, Eona Padilla and Kendra Garingalao while Angelica Bañez and Lee Ji Won lead the chase in Round 2 of the girls’ 15-18 category.