BACOLOD – John Rey Oro rolled to a four-stroke victory despite a shaky finish, carding a two-over 72 to turn a tense duel with Mhark Fernando III into a dominant win in the boys’ 15-18 division of the ICTSI Bacolod Junior PGT Championship here on Saturday.
Displaying deep familiarity with the tricky Bacolod Golf and Country Club layout, Oro broke a front-nine deadlock with Fernando and seized full control with a decisive three-shot swing on the dog-leg par-4 No. 11, where he tapped in for birdie.
He closed out the 54-hole tournament with a total score of 218, eight over par.
In the girls’ 15-18 category, Cebu’s Tashanah Balangauan once again showcased her supremacy over Davao’s Precious Zaragosa, completing a 13-shot rout with a 70 for a 212.
Zaragosa, who closed out with a 73, settled for second at 225, while Breanna Rojas placed third with a 253 after a 77.
John Paul Oro, John Rey’s twin, capped his round with a clutch 20-foot birdie on the par-3 18th to card a 75 and edge Fernando for runner-up honors via countback at 222.
Fernando closed with a 76 after bogeying the last two holes.
With the win, the Oro twins split top honors in the final two legs of the Visayas-Mindanao series – John Paul having ruled the Negros Occidental leg last Wednesday, where John Rey finished fifth.
In the girls’ division, Balangauan previously staged a comeback win over Zaragosa at the Marapara leg last Wednesday, overturning a two-shot deficit in the final round to win by two. This time, she took control from the opening round and never let up – shooting back-to-back 71s while Zaragosa carded twin 76s to fall behind by 10 after two rounds.
Balangauan, who also topped the Mactan leg, then cruised through the final round, focusing on sharpening her short game and putting under tournament conditions in preparation for the much-awaited finals.
John Rey Oro and Balangauan thus joined the roster of winners in the seventh and final leg of the Visayas-Mindanao series, alongside siblings Rafella and Ralph Batican (11-14), and rising stars Ana Marie Aguilar and Lucas Revilleza (7-10).
Rafella clinched the girls’ 11-14 crown to earn the last Finals berth in her category, while Ralph topped the boys’ 11-14 division to likewise advance.
Aguilar and Revilleza emerged as winners in the youngest age bracket, claiming titles in the girls’ and boys’ 7-10 categories, respectively.
