CEBUANO bet Gio Gandionco fell short in his bid to make the finals as he was thwarted by top-seed John Abadon, 2-1, in the semifinal round of the Philippine Amateur Match Play Championship at the Sherwood Hills Golf Club in Cavite.
Abdon, a Southwoods mainstay, won three straight holes from No. 7 then withstood a shaky finish to clinch the victory for a showdown with Andres Saldana, the Alabang Golf Club bet who booted out higher ranked rivals in No. 6 Joey Huerva and third seed Reymon Jaraula to get a crack at the crown.
Saldana added second seed Jonar Austria to his list of victims with a 3-2 win in the other side of the semifinal match. Meanwhile, organizers decided to reduce the men’s finals from the original 36-hole duel to an 18-hole showdown with the seniors finals set to fire off at 7:30 a.m. followed by the mid-am, the ladies and the men’s championship.
Dottie Ardina, meanwhile, stayed on track for a third crown in two months as she held off Philippine Amateur Open champion and ICTSI teammate Lovelynn Guioguio, 3-2, to reach the ladies finals of the event serving as the third leg of the Globe Amateur Golf Circuit and conducted by the National Golf Association of the Phils. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio