Que rolls to nine-shot Anvaya title
MORONG, Bataan – Just as everybody thought Angelo Que had lost his winning touch, the three- time Asian Tour winner provided an emphatic answer on the very course where he last tasted victory.
Que capped his ICTSI Anvaya Cove Invitational romp with a four-under 68 for a nine-stroke victory over Toru Nakajima yesterday, ending a 21- month spell for the former Philippine Open champion at the Anvaya Cove Golf and Sports Club here.
After fumbling with shaky windups in the first three days, Que finally unleashed a strong finishing kick – birdies in the last two holes – a feat he didn’t actually need given his nearinsurmountable seven-stroke lead after 54 holes that virtually turned the final round into a victory walk.
But he still pressed his bid as if he was still being pressed, gunning down five birdies, including four at the back, against a lone bogey for a 33-35 card and a 15-under 273 aggregate, netting him a runaway nine- shot win worth P650,000 out of the total P3.5 million purse in this kickoff leg of this year’s Philippine Golf Tour.
“I played according to my game plan and strategy,” said Que, who won two events in May 2015, including this one over Tony Lascuña before going on a slump here and abroad.
“I closely watched the Japanese because he’s the only one capable spoiling my quest,” said Que, referring to Nakajima, who closed out with a 70 and wound up far behind at 282. He took the P430,000 runner-up purse in the event sponsored by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.
Decking himself with bold, bright colors as he wont to, the power-hitting Que stood out not for his outfit but for his four-day brilliance at Anvaya, including a 70 and a 69 in the first two days under severe conditions and a third round 66 spiked by two eagles.
Nakajima actually conceded the crown as early as Friday when the first round leader failed to match Que’s early birdie-eagle binge and fell by seven. He also shot a 35 at the front yesterday and added three birdies in the first five holes at the back, only to reel back with back- to- back bogeys from No. 16.