DAVAO, Philippines: Amateur standout Aidrid Chan marked his transition to the professional ranks with a remarkable victory in the Philippine Golf Tour Q-School, overhauling a four-stroke deficit with a 68 and securing the low medal honors by three at the South Pacific Golf and Leisure Estates here Friday.
Aidrid Chan CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Kuresh Samanodi initially hiked his lead to five strokes with a birdie-birdie feat against Chan's bogey-eagle start. But the tides shifted as Chan, displaying resilience and skill, recorded four birdies against two bogeys in the next 14 holes.
In contrast, the two-day leader struggled with six bogeys in the same stretch and wound up with a 75, enabling Chan to wrest the lead.
Chan held sway to the finish, matching Samanodi's birdie on No. 17 to spike a pair of 34s for a four-day total of four-under 284, clinching the top spot and leading 29 others, who earned their spots in this year's PGT.
The 10-leg circuit kicks off with a two-leg Davao swing on March 12 for the ICTSI Apo Golf Classic, followed by the Palos Verdes Championship on March 19-22, alongside the 54-hole Ladies PGT.
"My game has really been peaking lately and I feel everyone has been a part of the journey," said Chan, expressing gratitude to his family, to God, supporters, pal Paolo Wong and coaches J3 Altea and Tony Lascuña.
Despite being four shots behind Samanodi after 54 holes, Chan focused on putting up a low score rather than catching up, underscoring his strategic approach to the game.
Needing to bounce back from an early slip, Chan did just that, coming through with a solid 5-iron second shot that landed just before the second green. He then knocked down a 60-degree wedge chip for eagle.
While the outcome resulted in a rout, Chan said it was practically close throughout, stressing: "At some point, we were all in contention, there were only two or three shots separating us."
But Samanodi failed to recover and limped with a three-over card, slipping to second at 287 while Korean amateur Min Hyeok Yu fired a 71 for third at 288, and Japanese Ozeki Kakeru placed fourth at 292 after a 74.
American amateur Drew Proctor also closed out with a two-over card while Kristoffer Arevalo shot a 75 as they shared fifth place at 293, while Korean Gwon Minwook rallied with a 70 for joint seventh at 294 with Japan's Toru Nakajima, who regained his Tour card with a 74.
Joseph Labajo turned in a 73 for ninth at 295 while Japanese Kota Fukuyama and Daiya Suzuki charged back with 69 and 71, respectively, to tie for 10th at 296 in the tournament organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.
Meanwhile, Daiki Ueda of Japan leaned on a strong frontside 33 to cushion the impact of a bogey-par-bogey finish, his 71 earning him the last spot at joint 29th with Jelbert Gamolo, who put in a 74 for a pair of 308s.
Brent Sumampong missed forcing a playoff for the last berth as he double bogeyed the last hole, ending up with a 76 for 31st at 309.
The Top 30 thus earned Category 6 status while those outside the Top 30 settled for Category 7 level.
Also making it to this year's 10-leg PGT circuit slated at the country's championship courses are Randy Garalde (72), Ramil Bisera (74), and Korean Chon Koo Kang (75), who matched 298s; American Collin Wheeler (74) and amateur Edmar Salvador, Jr. (75), who assembled 300s;
Elmer Saban (66), Carlos Packing (74) and Paul Echavez (75), who carded identical 301s; Korean amateur Tae Won Kim (72), amateur John Michael Uy (77) and Japan's Kei Matsuoka (77), who pooled 302s; Eric Gallardo (74) and Emilio Panimdim, Jr. (75), who carded 305s; amateur Ryan Monsalve (73) and Magno Arancon, Jr. (74), who posted 306s; and Ivan Monsalve (75) and Japanese Koji Inoue (77), who finished with 307s.
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