CCC’S YOUNG GUN BATTLES TWO-TIME CHAMPION
Reigning PHL amateur champion Po battles ex-pro Mark Dy in semifinals Mark Dy says he has to be at his best against 17-yearold Tyler Po PAL Interclub teammates Deen, Gonzalez face each other in other semifinal
The two-time reigning club champion Mark Anthony Dy will be in for a tough battle as he faces the current Philippine Amateur Open champion Peter Tyler Po in the semifinals of the CCC club championships at the Cebu Country Club today.
The former pro Dy and the 17-year-old Po booted out their opponents in the quarterfinals of the 2017 Men’s Club Championship Matchplay yesterday to move closer to this year’s CCC Club title.
The second-seeded Dy eliminated seventh-seeded Martin Mendoza, 4 and 3, finishing off his challenger with a par in the par-3 15. Dy put on a hot start and was 4-up after the front nine, hitting a birdie in the par-5 No.7 then parring the next two holes.
Mendoza was able to trim Dy’s lead to 3-up in hole No.11 but that was the closest he could get as the match ended in the next four holes.
“The game plan was to be very accurate with my tee shot so I can set up a good iron shot to the green. Luckily, I came out victorious against my opponent on this round,” Dy told SunStar Cebu after the game.
The third-seeded Po, on the other hand, scored a 4 and 2 victory over No.11 Nino Bascon. Po was one down after he shot a double-bogey in par 4 No. 4 but was able to even it up when he parred hole No. 9 while his opponent carded a bogey after tying the previous four holes.
Po pulled away when he was making par while Bascon faltered with bogeys in hole Nos. 11, 14 and 15. Po closed the game with a birdie on the 16th hole.
“I was playing well and I hit a lot of greens today, I just wasn’t making my putts. I will work on that in the next game,” said the incoming Grade 12 student of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC).
With the looming highly-anticipated semis match-up, both Dy and Po have nothing but respect for each other.
“Against Tyler Po, him being the reigning Philippine Amateur Champion, I have to be very sharp, I have to be at my best and it’s going to be a tough match for sure,” said Dy, who’s gunning for a coveted threepeat. “I have to be accurate and just play my game and hopefully I will come out at the top.”
“It’s an honor to play with him (Dy). He’s one of the veterans here at Cebu Country Club and has played pro golf once,” said Po. “The game plan for the semis is the same: hit greens, hit well, hit the fairways and hopefully hit more putts.”
The other semis catchup will be another closely-contested battle as two PAL Inter club players Eric Deen and Marc Gonzalez duke it out at 7:30 a.m.
The top-seeded Deen knocked off No.9 Jan-Jan Ybañez, 4 and 3, after the 15th hole; while fifth-seeded Gonzalez defeated Marko Sarmiento, 3 and 2.
Gonzalez and Sarmiento had a close battle that ended with Sarmiento missing his putt in the 16th hole. /
It’s an honor to play him (Dy), he’s one of the beterans here at Cebu Country Club and has played pro golf once. TYLER PO Against Tyler Po, I have to be at my best and it’s going to be a tough match for sure. MARK DY