The heat at Alta Vista Golf and Country Club was something else on Tuesday—you could practically smell the dry grass baking under the midday sun. Ethan Lago didn’t seem to mind the sweltering conditions though. He started the day trailing by two in the boys’ 7-10 division, but honestly, he just looked like he had a plan. After Revilleza hit those two double bogeys early on, the momentum shifted entirely to Lago. He finished with a 74 for a 150 total, marking his fourth win on the tour.
It was a clean sweep of sorts for the repeat winners. Revilleza, who we all thought might bounce back after his Mactan loss, just couldn’t find his rhythm again. He finished with a 153. Or maybe he just ran out of holes? Either way, Darren Ong ended up a bit further back at 178. Lago, who is only eight by the way, credited his driving and putting. Simple, right?
Then things got really wild in the girls’ 7-10 group. Avery Go was down but—wait, she just decided to birdie the last three holes. It was dramatic. Seriously, she turned a deficit into a two-shot lead just like that, ending with a 153. Mascariñas was leading for most of the day but couldn’t answer that late surge.
Marqaela Dy kept her streak alive in the 11-14 category. She told Misryoum that she didn’t even expect to win because her practice rounds were a bit of a disaster—finding hazards everywhere. But she hit this eagle on the seventh that kind of changed everything for her momentum.
It’s interesting how these kids handle the pressure.
Dy finished at 147, edging out Zuri Bagaloyos for the second time in a row. It was tight, though, especially with the way Bagaloyos was playing. Sometimes you just have to hold your nerve, and that’s exactly what Dy did with those clutch pars on the back nine. It’s funny, she mentioned the hazard issue almost like it was a past life, even though it was just days ago. Anyway, the field is clearly getting stronger.