LUBAO, Pampanga. — Zachary Villaroman and Korean debutant Seeun Pak fashioned out contrasting wins in the ICTSI Pradera Verde Junior PGT Championship here Thursday, dominating the 15-18 division in strikingly different fashion.
While Villaroman fought fiercely to finally taste victory after five legs of near misses with a closing 75, Pak cruised to a commanding title in her maiden appearance in the country’s premier junior circuit, navigating the tough Pinatubo layout with poise despite a closing 85.
Both players capitalized on the sizeable leads they built over the first two rounds of the 54-hole event, the penultimate leg of the seven-stage Luzon series organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc., turning the final 18 holes into a virtual coronation walk – albeit on different paths.
For Villaroman, the win was as sweet as it was overdue. After one runner-up and three third-place finishes in the prior legs, the 73-70-75 effort that brought him to a two-over 218 total finally pushed him to the top of the leaderboard.
But it didn’t come easy.
“It feels great to finally have a breakthrough after six legs,” said the 17-year-old Villaroman, who trains at Cangolf and credits his breakthrough to better decision-making on the course.
“It took a while because my course management wasn’t on par with the others. But once I was able to fix that, my game really improved,” he said.
