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By Frank Calapre, Correspondent
CARMONA, Cavite: John Kier Abdon
withstood pressure as he fired a sizzling 6-under 66 on Friday to
capture the boys individual title in the 6th Asean Schools Golf
Championship at the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club here.
The 16-year-old Abdon, one of
the 49-man RP delegation seeing action in next month’s World
Jungolf tourney in San Diego, California, and defending champion
Nicholas Fung Chee Yung of Malaysia had identical 204 going into the
final day.
But the more determined Abdon, a
fourth year high school student of San Beda College-Alabang, came up
with a bogey-less round coupled with six birdies en route to winning
his second international title since starting playing golf at
the age of 8-year-old. He also won the Samsung Asean juniors tourney
at Wack-Wack Golf and Country Club in 2005.
“I also felt pressure at the
start even if I had birdies in the 6th, 7th and 8th. It was only in
the 15th hole that I relaxed after I had another birdie while he
bogeyed. I was 5-under already,” said Abdon, who also won the DHL
juniors tourney last year.
Abdon is the individual
highest-scorer in the six-nation tourney with a four-day total of
270 while the RP boys’ team settled for fourth place.
Fung Chee Yung had a one-over 71
for 277 followed by Thailand’s Sittiporn Wattana-pulsab (286) and
Pathomporn Sungnark (287) and Singapore’s Johnson Poh Swee Kiat
(288).
“I think, it was pressure that
caught Nicholas especial-ly when he had no birdie in the front
nine and I had three already. But he is a good player,” added
Abdon, who thanked San Beda high-school principal Lily Cousart for
excusing him from the class for four days.
Thailand’s Dolnapa
Phud-thipinij edged Singapore’s Kristle Koh Pei Lin with a birdie
in the third hole of the tie-break playoff to bring home the girls
individual trophy in the tournament supported by Manila Southwoods
Golf and Country Club, Pagcor, Milo, San Miguel Corporation, STI,
Gold’s Gym, Centrum, Super Ferry, Gatorade, Air Philippines and
Unilever.
Phudthipinij led her team to the
title with a total of 871. Singapore placed second with 883 followed
by Malaysia (907) and the Philippines (914).
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