Barnes remains perfect after Apo breakaway
Pressed for the first time, Jamie Barnes on Tuesday played with the brilliance that defines champions, shooting a two-under-par 70 to win a fourth straight boys’ 7-10 crown in the ICTSI Junior PGT Championship leg pulling away at Apo Golf in Davao.
The 9-year-old wonder, who plays out of Cagayan de Oro, broke away from an overnight tie with Lucas Revilliza to win by a whopping 12-stroke margin, his birdie on the 18th for the second straight round giving him a 141 total.
Cebu’s Kvan Alburo actually came in second with a 76, while Revilleza couldn’t come back from a miserable front nine and went on to shoot an 85 for third, 15 shots off Barnes.
With 60 points after going 4-for-4 in the Mindanao swing, Barnes, who turns 10 next month, has all but wrapped up a slot to the Elite North vs South national Finals slated in October at The Country Club in Laguna.
Brittany Tamayo, meanwhile, made it back-to-back in the girls’ 11-14 division that was also disputed over 36 holes, closing out with a 71 for 146 and a one-shot win over Shane Baroquillo.
Baroquillo, who foiled Tamayo at Del Monte, fired a 72, while Johanna Uyking rallied with a 76 to finish third at 156.
In the boys’ 11-14 division, Jared Saban followed up his breakthrough win at South Pacific with a dominant performance at Apo. After a run of third-place finishes, the South Cotabato bet turned what was expected to be a tight contest into a runaway win, firing a 34 on the frontside and closing with a 71 for a seven-shot romp with a 148 total.
Marcus Dueñas, just one behind at the start of the final round, hobbled home with a 77 for a 155.
