REYMON JARAULA shot a clutch four-under 68 on Thursday to seize a one-shot lead over Rupert Zaragosa heading into the final round of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. Del Monte Championship in Bukidnon.
With a three-day total 14-under 202, Jaraula native catapulted himself from second to first, bringing him within 18 holes of a storybook redemption-and his fourth career victory on the Philippine Golf Tour.
‘I have the advantage, this is my home couese,’ said Jaraula, who turned adversity into opportunity after a bogey start and a costly double on the par-4 13th.
He clawed back with a steady front nine capped by an eagle on the par-five No. 9, then scorched the closing stretch with three straight birdies from No. 14 to seal a resilient 34-34 round.
‘First six holes, it wasn’t pretty, ‘good thing I recovered in the back nine,’ he said. ‘I just thought there were just enough holes remaining.’
Now standing on the brink of another triumph, Jaraula is determined not just to win, but to rewrite the ending of last year’s heartbreak at Del Monte, where he fell just one shot short of Clyde Mondilla.
This time, he has the crowd behind him, course familiarity and a steely focus to match.
‘I really want to win here, that feeling would be great,’ he said.
But chasing closely is the in-form Zaragosa, who carded a steady 71 for a 203 total and remained well within striking distance of back-to-back PGT titles following his dominant victory in Negros Occidental last month.
Though his red-hot 64 in the second round briefly vaulted him into the lead, Zaragosa grappled with inconsistency off the tee on Moving Day.
‘I struggled with my long game kaya konti lang ang chances na maka-birdie,’ he said.
But a dependable short game-particularly his pitch-and-putt precision-kept him in contention for the top P623,000 purse out of the P3.5 million total prize.
‘Most of the time, short game works,’ he said.
Fueling Zaragosa’s charge is something deeper than the leaderboard. He is playing with a heavy heart following the recent passing of his grandfather-a man he considered one of his biggest supporters.
As the two top guns battle it out, veteran Tony Lascuña quietly surged into contention with another vintage 68, his second straight, for a 10-under 206 total-just four shots off the lead.
At 54, the five-time PGT Order of Merit winner continues to defy expectations, but not without acknowledging the toll time has taken on his game.
The chasing pack also remained formidable. Japan’s Atsushi Ueda (68), Russell Bautista (69), Keanu Jahns (70) and Kuresh Samanodi (70) are all tied at 207, five shots off the pace. Korean Jaehyun Jung also made a move with a second straight 69 to join Dino Villanueva (70), Guido van der Valk (70), Mondilla (72) and Michael Bibat (73) at 209.
Mondilla, the defending champion, briefly flashed his title-retaining form with back-to-back birdies bridging the nines, but a costly double bogey on the par-5 18th-the same hole he eagled the previous round-derailed his round and dropped him to joint eighth.
Still, the stage is set for a dramatic finish. For Jaraula, a victory would mean redemption at home. For Zaragosa, it would be an emotional tribute and for Lascuña-it would be proof that age is just a number.