MANILA, Philippines – Guido van der Valk showcased a masterclass in resilience and endgame poise, overcoming a shaky start and a balky putter to fire a five-under 67 and catch Reymon Jaraula at the top in a tension-filled third round of the ICTSI Forest Hills Classic in Antipolo on Thursday.
What began as a wobbly outing for the Dutchman turned into a fiery comeback. After a three-putt bogey on No. 2 and another miscue on No. 5, van der Valk fell three strokes behind. But he rebounded in spectacular fashion, rattling off six birdies over the final 13 holes, including a clutch eight-footer on the 18th that sealed a 34-33 card and matched Jaraula's 11-under 202 total.
Jaraula, who held the lead at the halfway mark and remained in control through much of the third round under sweltering conditions, carded a 68 after a roller-coaster day featuring three birdies and two bogeys. A pair of late birdies from No. 16 salvaged his day and kept him in contention for a fourth Philippine Golf Tour title.
Van der Valk, who last won on the circuit two years ago, is relishing the opportunity for another crack at the championship.
"It's always fun to play with Reymon," he said. "The pressure to win is there, but playing well is the most important. We'll see how it all plays out at the end." He kept his strategy simple on the tricky Nicklaus course: hit fairways, reach greens and sink the putts.
"That's the way to play this course – fairways and greens and make the putts," said van der Valk, a multi-titled campaigner on the ICTSI-sponsored tour organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.
He admitted struggling early but found his rhythm from the sixth hole onwards.
"I three-putted early on and made another bogey," he said. "But then I started hitting it really well from No. 6." Jaraula also had his struggles off the tee but leaned on his iron game and putting to stay in front.
"Medyo shaky ang driving compared to the first two days pero nakabawi naman sa irons at putting ko (My driving was a bit shaky compared to the first two days, but I made up for it with my irons and putting)," said the Bukidnon native, who won in Bacolod last year for his third tour victory.
Heading into the final round tied, Jaraula is aware of the pressure but remains grounded.
"May pressure pero kailangan i-handle. Focus lang at enjoy the game, tulad ng ginawa ko sa first three rounds (There's pressure, but you have to handle it. Just stay focused and enjoy the game, like I did in the first three rounds)" he said.
Aidric Chan turned in the tournament's best round so far – a sizzling 64 – to leap into solo third at 205, three strokes off the lead, putting the recent Asian Development Tour winner in Vietnam in striking distance of a potential first PGT win.
Defending champion Keanu Jahns mounted a strong challenge with a three-under card through 11 holes, but stumbled with a double bogey on No. 12 and bogeys on Nos. 14 and 15 before recovering with a birdie on the par-5 16th. He ended with a 71 and slid to fourth at 207.
Angelo Que bounced back with a 67 to post a 209 total, tying with Justin Quiban and Jeffren Lumbo, who carded rounds of 70 and 71, respectively. However, the back-to-back winner at Pradera Verde and Eagle Ridge will need a fiery final round – and a stumble from the joint leaders – to keep his hopes of a hat-trick alive.
Japanese bet Atsushi Ueda posted a 68 for solo eighth at 210, while Carl Corpus (69) and Fidel Concepcion (71) shared ninth at 211.
Van der Valk's turnaround began with four birdies in a five-hole stretch starting from No. 6, bringing him level with Jaraula at nine-under. Jaraula briefly regained the solo lead with a birdie on No. 11 but bogeyed No. 14, allowing van der Valk to catch up again.
Jaraula made another push with back-to-back birdies from No. 16, while van der Valk birdied the 15th. But it was the Dutchman who had the final say, draining a pressure-packed birdie putt on the 18th to set up a thrilling final-day showdown for the P430,000 top purse out of the P2.5 million prize fund. TMT