DEEN, PO FACE OFF IN CCC FINALS
Tyler Po ends defending champion Mark Dy’s title quest in semifinals Eric Deen boots out Marc Gonzalez, 7 and 6, in other semifinal Deen, Po face off in 36-hole championships for CCC title on Saturday
Fresh from a confidence-boosting victory at the Philippine Amateur Open Championship, Peter Tyler Po came up with another huge win as he dethroned two-time reigning champion Mark Anthony Dy in the semifinals of the 2017 Cebu Country Club (CCC) Men’s Club Championship yesterday.
The fast-rising golf prospect Po foiled the three-peat hopes of the former pro Dy, flashing a 5 and 3 victory in a match that saw two players even after the first nine holes.
Po grabbed a 2-up lead in the back nine after he parred holes No.10 and 11 while Dy faltered with two straight bogeys.
Dy made up with the mishap and parred the next hole but Po had a better answer with a birdie to increase his lead to three. The 17-yearold Po then scored a par against Dy’s bogey in par-4 14 and closed out the match with a birdie in par-3 15.
“My (overall) game was pretty good. I was having trouble at start and middle and then kinda’ had it together in the back nine; hitting greens and making some putts,” the third-seeded Po told SunStar Cebu after the game.
Po took an early 2-up lead after the first three holes before second-seeded Dy retaliated with a par in hole No. 4 and a birdie in hole No.5 to even the score. Both golfers had identical three pars and one birdie in the next four holes to stay tied after the front nine.
“My win in PHL Amateur Open kinda’ got me this confidence out of nowhere. It’s like a sudden increase of my game. I never thought of being in the same level as Mark Dy; I have so much respect for him,” said Po, who won the PHL Amateur Open last month at the Orchard Golf and Country Club.
Dy, meanwhile, was as gracious in defeat and wishes Po all the best on the finals.
“I played OK but Tyler Po played better than me. I wish him well in the finals. We will try to bounce back next year,” he said.
In the other semis match, fivetime club champion Eric Deen was vintage as he overpowered PAL Interclub teammate Marc Gonzalez, 7 and 6.
The top-seeded Deen had a dominating win as he knocked off fifth-seeded Gonzalez after hitting a birdie in the par-4 12 and closed the match ahead by seven.
The PAL Interclub veteran Deen fired a birdie in hole No. 6 after parring the previous two holes to take a 2-up lead. He shot another birdie in the par-4 No.9 to end the front nine with a commanding 4-up advantage.
Deen parred the next two holes while Gonzalez struggled with a bogey and double-bogey. The match ended with Deen hitting a birdie in the 12th hole.
“My game was OK. I will practice on Friday to prepare myself for the 36-hole championship on Saturday,” said Deen. /