Jahns blasts foe; Singson honors late grandpa
STA. ROSA, Laguna—At The Country Club (TCC) on Friday, two rising stars seized the moment and engraved their names on trophies—and into Philippine golf lore.
Keanu Jahns opened the day by overpowering veteran Guido van der Valk, 3&2, to rule the men’s ICTSI Match Play Invitational—a victory that capped his late-season surge after wins in Caliraya Springs and Bacolod.
Even a watery miscue on the first hole couldn’t slow the Filipino German, who quickly squared the match with a 12-foot birdie on No. 2 and inched ahead on the sixth.
Once settled, his power game and a sharper putting stroke carried him through the back nine. He won two of the first five holes after the turn to build a three-up cushion—enough to hold off the steady Dutchman on TCC’s exacting layout.
“Everything clicked today,” Jahns said. “My putting was better, I drove it great and after that first hole, everything was okay.”
The win earned him P280,000 and cemented a breakout year—three victories that brought him just short of the Order of Merit crown. “I’m happy to finish the year with a win. Hopefully I can keep this going.”
Hours later, Mafy Singson delivered an even more emphatic finish.
Bracing for a tight duel, she instead dismantled Martina Miñoza, 6&5, finally finding the putting rhythm that had eluded her all week.
She set the tone with a birdie on her very first hole and then went on to lead, 5-up, at the turn.
“I didn’t expect to win by this margin,” Singson said. “My putts just kept going in.”
The victory, worth P280,000, carried a deeper weight—her grandfather passed on 40 days earlier.
“As soon as I won, it rained,” she said through tears. “I think it was him … showering me.”
Singson’s triumph followed her Eagle Ridge playoff win earlier this season and marked a personal breakthrough at the notoriously demanding TCC, a course she had long struggled to solve.
Miñoza settled for P200,000, while Harmie Constantino claimed third place with a 4&3 win over Daniella Uy.
