BACOLOD. – Stacy Rane Chiu achieved an extraordinary victory in the ICTSI JPGT Visayas Series 3 on Wednesday, securing the girls’ 13-15 category title at the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club and earning a coveted spot in the Philippine Junior Match Play Championship.
Chiu garnered 15 crucial points with her remarkable come-from-behind win, finished tied for first with Tiffany Bernardino with 27 points from a victory and a runner-up finish. This edged out Alexie Gabi, who amassed 25 points, for the last berth in the national finals at The Country Club in Laguna this October.
Chiu also surpassed Gabi for second place at the Bacolod Golf and Country Club in Murcia, a tournament won by Bernardino the previous week. Gabi, who won the first leg in Iloilo, aimed to join Bernardino in the national finals with a runner-up finish in Bacolod.
However, Bernardino squandered a three-stroke lead with two holes to play, stumbling with a double bogey and a bogey for an 87 and a 263 total. Chiu matched this with gritty closing pars for an 85, forcing a sudden death playoff.
Both players bogeyed the first playoff hole on No. 1, with Chiu tenaciously staying in contention. The Cebuana native then showcased her resilience, winning the par-4 opening hole with a par as Bernardino struggled with her bunker shots, needing five strokes to reach the green.
“I stayed calm and took it shot by shot because you never really know what will happen,” said Chiu, whose improbable victory added drama and excitement to a series otherwise marked by dominant performances.
“I felt a lot of pressure being seven strokes down after nine holes as I kept making bogeys. Despite catching up to Tiffany in the last nine holes, the pressure remained,” said the 15-year-old Chiu, who sank a crucial 14-foot putt for par on the 54th hole to force a tie.
