NEGROS Occidental — Cebuana ace Denise Mendoza and Davaoeño prodigy Ethan Lago stamped their dominance in the youngest brackets of the ICTSI Negros Occidental Junior PGT Championship, while Zuri Bagaloyos of Singapore School Cebu pulled off a stirring breakthrough in the girls’ 11–14 division at the Marapara course on Tuesday.
Mendoza completed a wire-to-wire conquest in the girls’ 7–10 division, firing a closing 70 after an opening 72 for a 36-hole tally of 142. She widened her 16-shot overnight lead to 27 at the turn before cruising to a commanding 33-stroke victory over Ana Marie Aguilar (87–175). Faith Reosura (99–189) settled for third.
The win, Mendoza’s third after earlier triumphs in Mactan and Apo, gave her 15 series points for a running total of 45 — enough to vault her past Soleil Molde (42) for the No. 1 ranking and secure her place in the Elite Junior Finals set Sept. 30–Oct. 3 at The Country Club.
In the boys’ 7–10 side, Lago notched his second title of the season, following up his Mactan leg victory with a closing 76 for a 146 aggregate. He finished nine shots clear of fellow Davaoeño Lucas Revilleza (79–158), with Cagayan de Oro’s James Rolida (87–170) in third. Tobias Tiongko (86–182) and Shaqeeq Tanog (96–183) rounded out the top five.
The 11–14 division also saw decisive performances. Bukidnon’s Ralph Batican fired a brilliant 141 to clinch a lopsided 35-shot win over Miguel Mesina (85–176). It was his second crown after ruling the Mactan leg, lifting him to 30 points and into fourth place overall, ahead of Mico Woo (22). Isaac Locsin placed third with 93–181.
Bagaloyos, meanwhile, turned heads with her first series victory. Trailing by three shots entering the final round, she closed with a 73 for a 149 total to outclass Rafella Batican (73–81–154) by five. Andrea Borromeo checked in third with 163 after an 83.
Bagaloyos’ breakthrough pushed her to third in the overall standings with 37 points after earlier podium finishes in Mactan, South Pacific, and Apo, underscoring her rise as a serious contender heading into the Finals./PN
