Batican dazzles with 62 at Binitin to near Vis-Min sweep
Ralph Batican—all 13 years old of him—put on an impressive scoring display on Wednesday, with an eight-under-par 62 giving him a 22-shot lead over Miguel Mesina in the 11-14 division of the ICTSI Junior PGT Visayas-Mindanao Series at tree-lined Binitin in Murcia town, Bacolod.
The prodigious talent from Bukidnon is just a round away from sweeping the series and taking sky-high confidence into the Elite Finals, as a 29 in the front nine spiked by an eagle on No. 5 had the field eventually eating his dust and looking unbeatable in his bid to follow up on victories at Mactan and Marapara.
“The key was staying focused and patient,” said Batican, whose older sister, Rafella, also took command of the girls’ side to stay in the running for the finals. “The eagle on No. 5 gave me a big boost, and some of my birdies were really just lucky.”
Rafella is shooting for the fourth and final slot via the backdoor, and a 72 will help her cause as she opened up a nine-shot lead over Andrea Borromeo.
In the premier 15-18 division, Tashanah Balangauan continued her winning form, firing a gritty 71 to seize a five-shot lead in the girls’ side over Precious Zaragosa, who struggled to a 76.
While both Balangauan and Zaragosa are virtually assured of the last two Finals spots, their ongoing duel has turned personal. At Marapara, Balangauan rallied from two strokes down to edge Zaragosa by two–and the rivalry in the 54-hole tournament is far from over.
Mhark Fernando III, meanwhile, shot a 73 to storm past Eddie Gonzales Jr. by two shots for the boys’ centerpiece category lead. Marapara leg winner John Paul Oro faltered with a 76 for third.
