THE long and grueling journey of the Junior Philippine Golf Tour (JPGT) culminates in a dramatic, high-stakes finale as the ICTSI Elite Junior Finals gets going on Wednesday (Oct. 1) at The Country Club in Laguna – a fitting stage for what promises to be a thrilling, unpredictable and history-making showdown.
This isn’t just another junior golf tournament. The season-ending championship brings together the country’s finest young talents in a Ryder Cup-style battle – a novel, high-pressure format never before used in the JPGT Finals.
For the first time, the best of the North (Luzon) takes on the cream of the crop from the South (Visayas-Mindanao), in a three-day team-based format where chemistry, strategy and resilience matter just as much as raw talent.
And with the stakes higher than ever, anything can happen.
The Finals will unfold over three competitive formats:
Day 1 (Oct. 1) – Four-Ball (Best Ball): Each pair plays their own ball, and the best score per hole counts. It’s a game of trust, where one partner’s brilliance can save the other’s missteps.
Day 2 (Oct. 2) – Foursomes (Alternate Shot): A test of rhythm and trust. Teammates take turns hitting a single ball, demanding perfect harmony and patience.
Day 3 (Oct. 3) – Singles: Mano-a-mano match play, with players battling head-to-head. Every hole counts as they fight for crucial points to push their teams over the finish line.
In a format where individual brilliance must align with team dynamics, no match is ever safe. Momentum swings, unexpected heroics or costly miscues can alter the outcome in seconds – making every shot meaningful, and every hole dramatic.
Team North, captained by Francis Talion with Ryan Tambalque as co-captain, is gunning for redemption after the South dominated last year’s match play Finals, winning six of eight titles. This time, North’s roster boasts power and depth, led by 15-18 standouts Patrick Tambalque, Zachary Villaroman, Jose Carlos Taruc and Kristoffer Nadales, who stepped up after Shinichi Suzuki’s withdrawal due to international duty in Japan.
The women’s premier division features North’s top contenders Rafa Anciano, Levonne Talion, Tiffany Bernardino and Chloe Rada, all hungry to avenge last year’s results.
Team South, under the leadership of Alfred Gaccion and co-captain Boyet Zaragosa, arrives with a fiery mix of experience and form. Multi-leg winner Alexis Nailga, along with Luciano Copok, Mhark Fernando III and Eric Jeon, spearhead the boys’ elite lineup, while the girls’ squad boasts Tashanah Balangauan, Crista Miñoza, Precious Zaragosa and Mike Guillermo, who grabbed a late slot after academic conflicts sidelined Zero Plete.
In the 11-14 division, the Sarines twins Lisa and Mona, alongside Kendra Garingalao and Alexie Gabi, look to lock horns with Southern standouts Brittany Tamayo, Kimberly Baroquillo, Zuri Bagaloyos and Rafella Batican in what could be one of the most closely contested categories in the championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments.
