Jaraula, Zaragosa up for battle royale at Del Monte
With one playing for a redemption win and the other for a dearly departed grandfather, Reymon Jaraula and Rupert Zaragosa are up for a battle royale in the final round of the P3.5 million ICTSI Del Monte Championship on Friday in Bukidnon, where just a handful are left with a chance to crash the party.
Jaraula returned a roller-coaster four-under-par 68 to wrest the lead from Zaragosa, the second round leader who grappled with his driver on Thursday on the way to a 71, though he remains determined to turn things around just to win one “for one of the biggest supporters” of his young career.
With a 202 aggregate, Jaraula put himself in place to erase the bitter taste of a one-stroke loss in 2023 to fellow Del Monte son Clyde Mondilla, and he admits the desire to win this one as his career started over this tree-lined layout.
“I would really like to win this,” Jaraula said in Filipino as he chases a fourth PGT win. “It will be a different feeling to win here.”
Antonio Lascuña fired a second straight 68 to move within four shots and keep a mathematical chance, at 54 years young, to win for the first time this season. One shot behind him is a four-man group led by Keanu Jahns, who shot a 70.
“I really want to win for him,” the pint-sized Zaragosa said of his grandfather, Rupert Sr., who passed away on Sunday at the age of 77 after a long battle with leukemia. “I will try to play at my best and accept whatever happens.”
Zaragosa had thought of withdrawing before the Pro-Am last Monday, but decided against it, and will be a man on a mission like Jaraula on the final day.
Meanwhile, Lascuña kept plodding along despite being outhit by practically the entirety of the surviving field.
“Maybe I have grown a bit old,” Lascuña said with a smile in Filipino after wheeling in serious contention for the first time this season. “There are still 18 holes left to be played, and who knows?”
Clyde Mondilla carved out a 72 to be seven shots off, like four others, counting opening round leader Michael Bibat, who shot a 73.
