Tagaytay captures WGAP overall title

Tagaytay Highlands bucked a pair of mediocre finishes with a runner-up effort in Class C as it edged Villamor in their spirited battle for the overall crown in the WGAP Circuit, which closed out its 2017 season at Sta. Elena Golf Club in Laguna recently.

Drawing two crucial points from their gutsy Class C squad, the Highlanders finished the eight-leg circuit organized by the Women’s Golf Association of the Philippines with 30 points, nipping the Villamor ladies by one to reclaim the overall crown they last won in 2014.

Just one point behind Tagaytay after seven legs, Villamor could only churn out a pair of third place finishes in Class B and C and ended up with 29 points while Forest Hills wound up with 22 for third, Sta. Elena placed fourth with 19 points and last year’s champion Alabang struggled to finish fifth with 16 points.

The top five will also dispute the WGAP Cup crown.

Sharing the spotlight were individual winners Kayla Nocum of Valley (41 points-Class A), Forest Hills’ Bebilyn Lobrin (40 points-Class B) and Cathy Yulo of Villamor (38 points-Class C).

Sta. Elena cashed in on its homecourt edge and topped Class B and finished second in Class A while Alabang ruled Class A and Canlubang took the Class C honors while placing third in Class A.

But Cangolf failed to make it to the WGAP Cup with 12 points for sixth followed by Camp Aguinaldo (7), Orchard (6), Valley Golf (2) and Wack Wack (1).

Hedy See and Jessalyn Tan each fired 37 Stableford points while Deena Mendiola and Dionne Cu added 35 and 34 points, respectively, as Tagaytay shot a 145 and finished behind Class C winner Canlubang, which drew 43 points from Mercediline Magno, a pair of 37s from Rosabel de Leon and Grace Vicencio and a 33 from Evelyn Villar.

Villamor placed third with a 139 followed by Sta. Elena (134), Alabang (133), Aguinaldo (122), Orchard (113) and Forest Hills (112).

Meanwhile, Alabang, with Jocelyn Garcia scoring 39 points and Rita Horan, Joan Morales and Christine Popp adding 38, 37 and 36 points, respectively, pulled through in the tightly-fought Class A contest, assembling a 150 for a one-point win over Sta. Elena (149). Canlubang placed third with a 148 followed by Valley Golf (146), Aguinaldo (145), Villamor (144), Tagaytay (140), Forest Hills (134) and Eagle Ridge (124).

Sta. Elena also drew 40 points from Gretchen Recto, a 36 from Alice Jose and a pair of 33s from Junko Naruse and Techie Leonio as it scored a 142 for a five-point win over Forest Hills in Class B. The Antipolo-based team pooled a 137 and nipped Villamor in the countback for second while Canlubang placed fourth with a 136 followed by Tagaytay (135), which edged Aguinaldo in the countback for fifth. Alabang ended up sixth at 132 followed by Wack Wack (131), Valley (120) and Eagle Ridge (118).