SINGAPOREAN golfer Quincy Quek came all the way back from seven strokes down to capture the title in the ICTSI Orchard Golf Championship yesterday in Cavite.
Quek fired in an incredible seven-under par 65 to win by two over Tony Lascuna. He simply had a remarkable day at the green where he shot in six birdies against a single bogey in the first 15 holes.
Then, he hit an incredible hole-in-one on the 16th hole to finish off the win and bag the crown in the $60,000 tournament.
He wound up with a 12-under 276 at Orchard’s Palmer Course, beating erstwhile solo leader Lascuna, Scott Barr of Australia and Taiwanese Lam Zhi Qun by two for the top $10,465 purse in the 72-hole championship capping a two-week swing of the Asian Development Tour in the country.
It was another sorry setback for Lascuna, who surged ahead in the third round with a fiery 67 and fended off Barr’s charge in the early going until Quek, also a former winner of the WWWExpress-DHL crown at Canlubang, caught fire two flights ahead.
Lascuna, who led Quek by six after 54 holes and padded it to seven with a birdie on the first hole, bogeyed No. 15, enabling Quek to draw level before the 25-year-old Singaporean came through with an ace to seize the lead for good.
The Filipino ace bet went for broke in the last two holes but failed to set up birdie chances and hobbled with a one-over 73 for a 278, settling for another runner-up finish after losing by six to Elmer Salvador in last week’s Aboitiz Invitational Presented by ICTSI in Cebu.
But this time, he had to share it with Barr, who holed out with a birdie for a 72, and Qun, whose third round 63 tied the course record set by Juvic Pagunsan last year. He eagled the par-5 18th for a four-under 68. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio