Lipa, Batangas – Julia Lua of La Salle-1 picked up right where she left off while College of St. Benilde-1’s Sean Granada recovered from a last-hole miscue to edge La Salle-1’s Zachary Castro in sudden death as they delivered contrasting victories in the Finals of the inaugural ICTSI Intercollegiate Tour, capping a landmark week for collegiate golf Thursday, September 25, 2025, at the Summit Point Golf and Country Club here.
While Lua coasted to a four-stroke victory over CSB-1’s Natasha Bantug despite a 96 for 181, Granada squandered a three-shot lead with three holes to play but regained his composure when it mattered most, clinching the crown with a routine par on the first playoff hole at the par-4 18th.
Granada, who dominated the Splendido Taal leg under stormy conditions, had earlier three-putted the final hole to finish with a 73, enabling Castro, who drilled in a 12-foot birdie putt for a 71, to force a playoff at 146.
In sudden death, Castro, the Pradera Verde leg winner, hit an errant drive and reached the green in four. He then missed a four-foot bogey putt before picking up Granada’s marker, effectively conceding the match.
Granada, who had putted for birdie from the same spot in regulation, rolled his putt to within a foot of the cup to seal the win.
La Salle-2’s Arvin Ong also rallied with a 73 to claim the bronze at 151, edging out UP-1’s Miggy Roque and La Salle-1’s Miguel Fusilero, who faltered with rounds of 75 and 76, respectively, in the countback.
After days of rain and stormy conditions that threatened to derail the championship, the sun finally broke through, bathing the par-72 course in light and setting the stage for a grand finale. Although the adverse weather had trimmed the scheduled three-round Finals to just 36 holes, it did little to diminish the event’s impact that unfolded on a softened but well-maintained Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed layout.
The reduced format only raised the stakes, and in this kind of test, Lua and Granada emerged as the brightest stars – albeit in vastly different fashions.
For Lua, it was dominance from the get-go. The winner of the Royal Northwoods leg established a commanding eight-stroke lead early and never looked back, leveraging her consistent ball-striking and poise to build a cushion too wide for the field to challenge.
Despite her final round 96, Lua completed her wire-to-wire victory, culminating in a four-stroke romp over Bantug in an emphatic statement of supremacy in the women’s individual division.
Bantug finished with a 92 for second with 185, while Lua’s teammate Janine Yusay took the bronze with a 191 after a 97.
Granada, on the other hand, relied on his steady, consistent play to quickly take control after trailing UP-1 Emilio Carpio by one stroke after the first 18 holes. He turned in a gutsy one-birdie, one-bogey card on the front nine to seize the lead. PR