LIPA CITY, Batangas — What looked like a runaway turned into a grind and, finally, a nerve-racking one-stroke escape for Chanelle Avaricio.
Avaricio absorbed Apple Fudolin’s early challenge, pulled away with a burst of birdies, and then dug deep for a clutch par on the final hole to hold off a charging Yvon Bisera of Davao City and capture another Ladies Philippine Golf Tour title in the ICTSI Summit Point Championship here Thursday.
Avaricio fired a 4-under 68 for a 4-under 212 total, edging Bisera by one stroke after the latter mounted a furious comeback in the final round.
Bisera, the recent Pradera Verde runaway winner, shot a scorching 66 to erase a six-stroke deficit and move within one with nine holes to play, turning what appeared to be a comfortable march to the title into a pressure-packed finish.
Avaricio refused to blink.
She two-putted for par on the 18th to secure the P125,000 championship and her second title of the season after her victory in the Pinewoods chase last July.
The victory also gave the 27-year-old Avaricio a measure of redemption after she missed the cut in the China LPGA Tour event last week.
More significantly, she won on a course she knows well and proudly calls home as Summit Point’s golf ambassador.
“I think going into the last day, medyo I wasn't sure if I was going to win (I wasn't really sure if I was going to win). Pero, I just tried to focus on the moment, like every shot (But I just tried to focus on the moment, on every shot) Then, ayun, parang every shot matters. (Then, I realized that every shot matters). 'Yun na lang 'yung iniisip ko (That was all I was thinking about),” said Avaricio.
“Anything can happen here, so I just focused on every shot and tried not to get ahead of myself,” she added.
For much of the final round, Avaricio looked firmly in control.
She matched Fudolin’s birdies on Nos. 2 and 3 to preserve her one-stroke lead before taking charge of the tournament.
Fudolin stumbled with bogeys on Nos. 5 and 7, while Avaricio birdied Nos. 8 and 9 to seize control.
She made the turn in a sizzling 32 and opened a four-shot cushion over Fudolin.
With the wind largely staying away during the final-round morning, Avaricio continued to attack when opportunities came and settled for pars when they did not.
Fudolin could not mount another charge, leaving the rest of the field to chase Avaricio.
Seoyun Kim, Tiffany Lee, Sarah Ababa, Gretchen Villacencio and Bisera remained in contention, while Harmie Constantino, who started the day four shots behind, also failed to make a serious dent in the leader’s advantage.
Then Bisera changed the script.
Playing in the flight ahead, Bisera unleashed a scorching back nine and steadily erased the deficit. By the time she signed for a 66, she had pulled within one stroke of Avaricio, who was still playing in the final group.
Suddenly, Avaricio had no room for error.
She admitted the pressure became most evident on the closing holes.
“It was on the last hole. Honestly, I was playing well in my front nine. But on the back, I think I only shot even par. So, I didn't really want to get ahead and, you know, I just want to finish all 18 holes before, you know, celebrate,” she said when asked when she felt the tournament was truly hers.
“I was aggressive at the start. But on the back nine, medyo naging conservative,” she reflected.
That approach proved enough.
Avaricio two-putted for par on the 54th hole and finally allowed herself to celebrate a victory that had gone from comfortable to precarious in the span of a few holes.
Ababa rallied with a 69 to finish third at 215, while Lee and Kim matched 70s for joint fourth at 216. Fudolin struggled to a 73 and dropped to sixth at 218.
The victory carried added significance for Avaricio because of her connection to the venue.
“It means a lot, especially being an ambassador of Summit Point. I practice here a lot. So, it means a lot to me. Kasi, you know, they help me, and it's like a home course.”
Avaricio’s triumph also capped a remarkable turnaround from her opening round.
She struggled from the start, bogeying her first three holes and dropping another shot on No. 7 before a late birdie on No. 16 salvaged a 75.
She bounced back with a bogey-free 69 in the second round to seize control, then maintained that form Thursday, birdieing five of her first 11 holes while grinding out pars when birdie opportunities failed to materialize.
She finished the final two rounds with eight birdies against just one bogey, combining timely aggression with the composure she needed to close out the title.
The victory should also give Avaricio a timely confidence boost as she turns to her next international campaign and prepares for Epson Tour qualifying.
For now, she can savor a hard-earned victory at Summit Point — one that looked comfortable for most of the day before Bisera made sure Avaricio had to earn every stroke of it. PR
