At The Country Club (TCC) on Friday, two rising stars seized the moment and engraved their names on trophies-and into Philippine golf lore.
Keanu Jahns opened the day by overpowering veteran Guido van der Valk, 3and2, to rule the men’s ICTSI Match Play Invitational-a victory that capped his late-season surge after wins in Caliraya Springs and Bacolod.
Even a watery miscue on the first hole couldn’t slow the Filipino German, who quickly squared the match with a 12-foot birdie on No. 2 and inched ahead on the sixth.
Once settled, his power game and a sharper putting stroke carried him through the back nine. He won two of the first five holes after the turn to build a three-up cushion-enough to hold off the steady Dutchman on TCC’s exacting layout.
‘Everything clicked today,’ Jahns said. ‘My putting was better, I drove it great and after that first hole, everything was okay.’
The win earned him P280,000 and cemented a breakout year-three victories that brought him just short of the Order of Merit crown. ‘I’m happy to finish the year with a win. Hopefully I can keep this going.’
Hours later, Mafy Singson delivered an even more emphatic finish.
Bracing for a tight duel, she instead dismantled Martina Miñoza, 6and5, finally finding the putting rhythm that had eluded her all week.
She set the tone with a birdie on her very first hole and then went on to lead, 5-up, at the turn.
‘I didn’t expect to win by this margin,’ Singson said. ‘My putts just kept going in.’
The victory, worth P280,000, carried a deeper weight-her grandfather passed on 40 days earlier.
‘As soon as I won, it rained,’ she said through tears. ‘I think it was him . showering me.’
Singson’s triumph followed her Eagle Ridge playoff win earlier this season and marked a personal breakthrough at the notoriously demanding TCC, a course she had long struggled to solve.
Miñoza settled for P200,000, while Harmie Constantino claimed third place with a 4and3 win over Daniella Uy.