BACOLOD City – Florence Bisera turned the ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic into a showcase of grit and nerve, storming back from six strokes down to capture the crown in dramatic fashion at the Marapara Golf and Country Club yesterday.
The 28-year-old Davaoeña torched the course with a sizzling five-under-par 67 in the final round, wiping out the cushion of front-runners Seo Yun Kim of Korea and Princess Superal to clinch a one-shot victory with a three-day total of 209. The triumph was Bisera’s third career Ladies Philippine Golf Tour title, her first since the 2024 Match Play Championship.
“I didn’t expect to win because I was six shots behind after two rounds,” admitted Bisera, who pocketed the championship with a late charge. “I just told myself that I wanted to shoot under par on the final day – that was my only goal. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.”
Bisera wasted no time mounting her comeback, draining birdies on Nos. 2, 3 and 6 to slice the deficit. Though she stumbled with bogeys on the ninth and 11th, she steadied herself in the clutch, rolling in crucial birdies on Nos. 15 and 17 to post the day’s best round and take the clubhouse lead.
“When play resumed on No. 15, my only goal was to hit the fairway and reach the green because I knew how tough the course conditions were,” she said. “But the putt dropped, and on No. 17, my approach shot landed close enough for me to convert another birdie.”
Kim, chasing an elusive first LPGT crown after seven runner-up finishes, looked primed for a breakthrough after building a three-shot lead at the turn. But the Korean faltered under pressure, bogeying the 16th and 17th to finish with a two-over 72. Superal also stumbled, limping home with a four-over 74. Both wound up tied for second at 210.
Superal still had a chance to force a playoff but misfired on a birdie putt at the 18th green, while Kim saved par from the bunker but still fell short of ending her string of heartbreaks.
Lois Kaye Go placed fourth at 212 after a 72, while Tiffany Lee’s 69 lifted her to fifth at 215. Chanelle Avaricio (217), Daniella Uy (218), Sarah Ababa (220), and Kayla Nocum and Gretchen Villacencio (221) rounded out the Top 10.
Bisera’s comeback not only highlighted her putting touch but also underscored her composure when it mattered most, proving that even in unforgiving Marapara, no lead is ever safe./PN
