Lascuña, Harmie dominate Match Play
TONY Lascuña turned a season of doubts into a year-end of hope, beating Keanu Jahns, 4&3, to crown himself the first ICTSI Villamor Match Play men’s champion in Pasay on Friday.
But Harmie Constantino produced a magical win in the women’s final, coming through with a clutch chip-in birdie she described as “unexplainable” as she edged top amateur Rianne Malixi in a rain-drenched duel that stretched to the 19th hole to snare the hotlycontested title.
Constantino trailed the majority of the way, the last on the island green number 17 which she conceded after Malixi hit her tee-shot just below the hole. But the former never lost hope and gained after the latter hit an errant second shot on the par-5 18th that went into the water, sending the match to where it had all started — all square.
And as Malixi set up a 12-foot birdie putt on their second trip to the first green, Constantino holed out from the rough 40 yards away to foil the very amateur who had dominated this year’s Ladies Philippine Golf Tour with a sweep of all her stints at Luisita, Valley and Riviera.
But Constantino had the last laugh as Malixi flubbed her tying putt, enabling the former to match Lascuña’s P280,000 winnings in the novel championship, capping the return to the mainstream of the two pro circuits put up by ICTSI.
“It’s unexplainable, hindi talaga ako makapaniwala (I just can’t believe it),” said Constantino, who also won the LPGT season-ending tournament at Pradera Verde, beating Chanelle Avaricio, also a three-leg winner this year, by one last month.
Constantino, who marked her pro debut last year with two victories, both at Eagle Ridge-Aoki.
Earlier, Lascuña’s margin of victory came as a big surprise for the affable Davaoeño ace, who had braced for a grind-out duel with a young, power-hitting rival after coming out of a rigorous route to the finals with victories over Gerald Rosales and Clyde Mondilla in the quarters and semifinals, respectively, Thursday.
But he did expect to win. Driven by desire to end the season with a win after getting foiled to settle for runner-up finishes in the last three Philippine Golf Tour regular events at Eagle Ridge-Aoki, Riviera and Pradera Verde, Lascuna knew he had the game needed in a head-tohead format and on a tight, tough course as Villamor.
Sure, he didn’t have the length to dominate but had the steadfastness, the short game and poise that could still humble even the most talented from among a slew of young guns on the Tour that he declared he would win it all even before the first shot is fired in Monday’s pro-am.
“I think I’d win all the matches. I’ve been playing well and my putting is just as okay with my driving and irons. I also didn’t want to end the season without a win, so I really prepared for this,” said Lascuña, so confident even in such a format where one shot or one hole could shift the momentum to the other player.