GARCIA, DY FACE OFF FOR CCC CLUB TITLE
Bayani Garcia to face Mark Dy in 36-hole championship match
BAYANI Garcia and Mark Anthony Dy sealed a title duel for the club championship after winning in the semifinals of the Cebu Country Club (CCC) Annual Club and Class Championship on Thursday, May 9.
The top-seeded Garcia defeated Joseph Alvarez, 4 and 3, in the semifinals, while the former pro and No. 10-seed Dy hacked out a victory over No. 3 Eric Deen, 3 and 2.
Garcia beat Janjan Ybañez, 3up, in the quarterfinals after a bye in the first phase of the match play round.
Garcia secured the top spot after topping the qualifiers with 145. He scored an impressive 7-under 65 from 33-34 cards in the second round to make up for 76 in the opening round.
It was an uphill climb for Dy, on the other hand, as he needed to upset three opponents in the match play round to make it to the winner-take-all championship.
Dy, a former club champion, first defeated No. 7 Hugo Saurat in the highly contested match. Dy prevailed with a one-hole lead after 18 holes.
He then faced the uprising shotmaker and No. 2-ranked Harvey Sytiongsa in the next round, winning 2 and 1. Dy brought the momentum to the semifinals, pulling off a convincing win against another perennial contender and a higher-seeded player in Deen.
In the qualifying round, Dy finished with a two-round haul of 157 to get to No. 10. He shot 2-over 74 in the first round before a dismal 9-over 81 in the second round.
Dy and Garcia are both members of the CCC 2019 PAL Interclub team that stunned the golfing community last March, after winning the overall crown as a campaigner in the Founders class of the 72nd PAL Interclub. /