LIPA, Batangas – Julia Lua of La Salle-1 picked up right where she left off while College of St. Benilde-1’s Sean Granada recovered from a last-hole miscue to edge La Salle-1’s Zachary Castro in sudden death as they delivered contrasting victories in the Finals of the inaugural ICTSI Intercollegiate Tour on Thursday, Sept. 25, at the Summit Point Golf and Country Club here.
While Lua coasted to a four-stroke victory over CSB-1’s Natasha Bantug despite a 96 for a 181, Granada squandered a three-shot lead with three holes to play but regained his composure when it mattered most, clinching the crown with a routine par on the first playoff hole at the par-4 18th.
Granada, who dominated the Splendido Taal leg under stormy conditions, had earlier three-putted the final hole to finish with a 73, enabling Castro, who drilled in a 12-foot birdie putt for a 71, to force a playoff at 146.
In sudden death, Castro – the Pradera Verde leg winner – hit an errant drive and reached the green in four. He then missed a four-foot bogey putt before picking up Granada’s marker, effectively conceding the match.
Granada, who had putted for birdie from the same spot in regulation, rolled his putt to within a foot of the cup to seal the win.
La Salle-2’s Arvin Ong also rallied with a 73 to claim the bronze at 151, edging out UP-1’s Miggy Roque and La Salle-1’s Miguel Fusilero, who faltered with rounds of 75 and 76, respectively, in the countback.
The reduced format only raised the stakes, and in this kind of test, Lua and Granada emerged as the brightest stars – albeit in vastly different fashions.
For Lua, it was dominance from the get-go. The winner of the Royal Northwoods leg established a commanding eight-stroke lead early and never looked back, leveraging her consistent ball-striking and poise to build a cushion too wide for the field to challenge.
Despite her final round 96, Lua completed her wire-to-wire victory, culminating in a four-stroke romp over Bantug in an emphatic statement of supremacy in the women’s individual division.
Bantug finished with a 92 for second with 185 while Lua’s teammate Janine Yusay took the bronze with a 191 after a 97.
Granada, on the other hand, relied on his steady, consistent play to quickly take control after trailing UP-1 Emilio Carpio by one stroke after first 18 holes. He turned in a gutsy one-birdie, one-bogey card on the front nine to seize the lead.
Carpio, of UP-1, also posted one birdie against a bogey through the first four holes to stay in front. However, he fumbled with three bogeys over a four-hole stretch starting at No. 5, slipping two shots behind after a 39.
La Salle-1 capped the Taft-based school’s domination of the milestone event as Castro and Fusilero, who shot a 76, combined for a 147 to clinch the team title with a 36-hole total of 297 – seven strokes ahead of early leader UP-1.
UP-1, which led by two after the opening round, stumbled after Carpio ballooned to an 82 and finished with a 156. Along with Roque’s 75, UP-1 totaled a 304. La Salle-2 secured the bronze at 307 behind Ong’s 73 and Jet Ang’s 77, edging CSB-1 by one.
CSB-1 faltered with a 154 for a 308, highlighted by Granada’s 73 and David Guangko’s 81.
