LJ Go advances to the final round today of the MVPSF Visayas Regional Match Play Championship. CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON
Cebuano pride Lloyd Jefferson Go moved on to the finals of the third MVPSF Visayas Regional Match Play Championship after he sank a pressure-packed par on the very first extra hole to nip Carl Corpus, yesterday at the Cebu Country Club in Banilad.
Go, the former Phil Amateur Open champion, was trailing Corpus in regulation, going 2-down after a bogey on No. 6. However, he regained his bearing and took the seventh and ninth holes and forced an all-square game with a par on the par-5 15. The duo each had pars on the last two to extend the match.
But, the recent topnotcher in the Philippine Golf Tour Q-School moved on with a par on their second trip at the par-4 No. 1 as Corpus holed out with a bogey, giving Go’s bid for the championship alive.
No. 11 Joaquin Velez also authored a 1-up victory on the 19th hole over Martin Mendoza to arrange a showdown with Go in the tournament organized and conducted by the National Golf Association of the Philippines.
Velez rallied back from 3-down after nine holes by taking the first three holes at the back but flubbed a 2-up lead after 15 with a double-bogey and bogey on Nos. 16 and 17, respectively, allowing Mendoza to extend the match.
Like Go, Velez made a par on No. 1 against Martin’s bogey to advance to the finals today.
Meanwhile, top seed Nicole Fleetwood blew away Jhanna Abella, 6&5, to move on to the semis of the women’s division against fourth ranked Junia Louise Gabasa, who defeated Riko Nagai, 3&2, while second seed Angela Mangana bested Weifang Go, 2&1, for a clash with No. 3 Irina Gabasa, who trounced Grace Quintanilla, 6&4.