LUBAO, Pampanga – One week he tamed the mountain. The next, he conquered the plains.
From the demanding slopes and severe elevation changes of Pinewoods to the sprawling, flatter and wind-swept fairways of Pradera Verde’s Arayat course, Lloyd Go proved that truly elite players aren’t defined by the courses they play – but by how quickly they adapt.
After overpowering Pinewoods with a dominant 12-shot victory, Go showcased an entirely different brand of golf at the ICTSI Pradera Verde Championship, grinding out a pressure-packed final-round 71 to repel a relentless charge from a field loaded with champions and title contenders and complete a rare, hard-earned back-to-back title sweep on the Philippine Golf Tour.
Unlike his runaway triumph in Baguio, where he virtually settled the outcome after the third round, this victory demanded everything from the Cebuano ace. The strong winds that swept across the wide-open Arayat layout over the last two days added another layer of difficulty, while a succession of challengers repeatedly threatened to wrest control away from him.
Yet through shifting conditions, contrasting course setups and an army of pursuers, Go never blinked.
He finished with a nine-under-par 279, edging veteran Tony Lascuña by one to pocket the P359,000 top prize and cement another masterclass in adaptability, composure and championship golf.
Lascuña snapped a run of backside pars with a birdie on the last for a 70 and a 280 worth P234,000, his second runner-up finish after previously falling by a single stroke to Angelo Que in a dramatic late-hole duel at Caliraya Springs.
Keanu Jahns also mounted a late challenge, birdieing three of five holes starting at No. 9. However, costly bogeys on Nos. 15 and 16 halted his momentum, leaving him with a 71 for solo third at 282, while erstwhile second-running Clyde Mondilla failed to recover from a front-nine 38 and faltered with a 74 for fourth at 283.
Angelo Que also struggled with a two-over-par round to finish fifth at 285, while Jhonnel Ababa matched par 72 to tie Rupert Zaragosa, who limped home with a 76, for sixth place at 286.
Randy Garalde, at joint third with Zaragosa just two strokes off Go after 54 holes, skied skied to a 79 and tumbled to 10th at 289.
