ANTIPOLO – Carl Corpus slowed down a bit, settling for a two-under 70 to remain in command by four and within reach of a breakthrough Philippine Golf Tour victory after the third round of the ICTSI Valley Golf Challenge here on Thursday, Nov. 20.
Though he brushed aside pressure as the cause of his shaky windup, Corpus admitted that the late-round turbulence owed much to a combination of unfavorable pin placements and the demands of Valley Golf South’s tricky greens.
His bogeys on Nos. 12, 13 and 17 came after he had soared to an imposing eight-shot lead spiked by another eagle on No. 7 and a birdie on the 11th for a running 14-under total. But Corpus clarified that the miscues were not mental lapses – they were the product of targets that simply didn’t suit his natural shape.
Despite these hurdles, the rookie remained firmly in control with a 12-under 204 aggregate.
Yet fate dealt him an unexpected twist as his closest chaser turned out to be someone he knows as well as anyone – his cousin, Aidric Chan.
Chan carded a sparkling 66, highlighted by an eagle-aided 34 on the front and a blistering four-birdie charge in the last nine holes. Now four shots back at 208, he emerged as the primary threat after early pursuers Clyde Mondilla, Arnold Villacencio and Angelo Que all faltered when they were expected to launch a serious assault.
Chan insisted he would carry no expectations into the final round.
Joining the cousins in the championship flight is multi-titled Guido van der Valk, who birdied his last two holes for a 69 to tie Que, who shot a 70, at 210.
Meanwhile, Jeffren Lumbo’s 71 dropped him to joint fifth at 211 with Ryan Monsalve, who put in a 70, while Villacencio and Mondilla slipped to 212 after struggling with 73 and 74, respectively.
Tony Lascuña rediscovered his rhythm, topping the day with a tournament-best, bogey-free 64 that hauled the five-time Order of Merit champion from near the tail of the surviving field to a share of ninth at 213 alongside Jhonnel Ababa and Ira Alido, who matched 69s.
Despite his wobbly finish, Corpus exuded confidence – anchored not only in his lead, but in the belief that he had already endured Valley’s toughest tests.
“I’m very confident, but there will always be problems out there,” said Corpus. “You have to stay resilient and do whatever it takes but I’ll stay aggressive.”
He also welcomes the idea of a friendly final-round atmosphere with Chan.
“Mas magaan for sure. I’ve played with him so many times since we were young. For us, it’s just another golf round,” he said.
Still, Corpus is fully aware of what is at stake.
“I’m very excited to win this event. We work so hard all year – every day – and to show that on this stage would be amazing,” he said. “If I win? Honestly, no words. Just pure excitement.”
Yet Que and van der Valk, six shots adrift, remain determined to spoil the cousins’ bid in the P2 million final leg of this year’s Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. circuit.
Corpus started the day ablaze – birdies on Nos. 1 and 3, a bounce-back birdie on the sixth, and a second straight eagle on the par-5 seventh. Another birdie at the 11th sent him soaring to an eight-shot cushion. But the tough right-side pins and slow, sloping greens proved stubborn adversaries, trimming his margin and ensuring that the final 18 holes remain far from a mere victory march.
