Sarines and Chan Emerge Victorious in Junior Philippine Golf Tour at Riviera

SILANG, CAVITE — Young golfers Vito Sarines and Aerin Chan triumphed in their respective categories at the ICTSI Junior Philippine Golf Tour Luzon Series 4, held at the Riviera Golf and Country Club’s Couples Course on Wednesday.

According to Philippines News Agency, Sarines dominated the boys’ 10-12 category, scoring a 74 for a total of 144, decisively beating Jacob Casuga by 15 strokes. Casuga finished with a total of 159 after shooting a 79, while Nathaniel Yeung came in third with a score of 91, totaling 178. Sarines, expressing his ambitions, stated, “I will compete in the rest of the Luzon series and aim for another victory,” highlighting his previous successes at the Splendido Taal and Pinewoods legs and a second-place finish at Pradera Verde.

In the girls’ division, Chan secured her first win of the series with an 86, culminating in a total score of 159. This victory followed several near-misses where she previously placed fifth. Quincy Pilac claimed the second spot with a total of 164, and Georgina Handog, winner of the Pradera Verde leg, finished third with a score of 175. Chan shared her excitement about the win and her focus on enhancing her game, particularly her short game and putting.

The younger categories also saw remarkable performances. In the boys’ 8-9 category, Kvan Alburo led with a total of 180, followed by Jesus Yambao and Michael Ray Hortel II, who both scored 203; Yambao clinched the runner-up position via countback. Athena Serapio won the girls’ division with a score of 91, totaling 184, ahead of Tyra Garingalao and Andrea Dee.

Reflecting on her strategy, Serapio remarked, “I just focused on each hole. I needed to make a good score because my first-round performance was poor.”