La Salle Team I made a commanding statement in the inaugural ICTSI Intercollegiate Tour, asserting its dominance in both the men’s and women’s individual and team categories during the tournament’s non-ranking launch held Monday, June 16, at Sherwood Hills Golf Club in Cavite.
Veteran amateur Perry Bucay led the charge in the men’s individual division with a steady one-over-par 73, narrowly edging College of Saint Benilde’s Sean Granada by a single stroke. Granada faltered late with three consecutive bogeys from the 14th hole, finishing with a 74. Ranz Balay-Odao of the University of the Cordilleras and University of the Philippines’ Joshua Buenaventura shared third with rounds of 76.
On the women’s side, La Salle’s Julia Lua displayed composure and shotmaking prowess, carding an 87 to win by six shots over UP’s Katrisse Datoc (93). Lua’s teammate, Stacey Chan, claimed third with a 98.
While the event was non-bearing, organizers Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. positioned it as a dry run to refine tournament operations ahead of the official opening on July 18. The soft launch offered teams and players a valuable opportunity to adapt to the format, foster team chemistry, and resolve logistical challenges as the PGTI and the Philippine Golf Foundation seek to establish a sustainable intercollegiate golf tour.
“This was all about familiarization and fine-tuning,” said tournament director Jack Imperial. “The official stroke play event begins in July, and this was crucial to ensure everything runs smoothly moving forward.”
Subsequent rounds are set for July 27 (men), August 3 (women), August 11 (combined), August 17 (men), and August 24 (women), with the grand finals scheduled for September 23–25. Venues will be announced soon.
Despite the exhibition nature, team standings were still closely followed. In the men’s team play, La Salle triumphed with a 152 aggregate from Bucay (73) and Santino Laurel (79), edging out UP’s 153, built from Buenaventura’s 76 and Emilio Carpio’s 77. CSB I rounded out the top three at 155, followed by La Salle 2 (162), University of the Cordilleras (166), CSB 2 (169), UP 2 (173), La Salle 5 (176), La Salle 3 (178), and La Salle 4 (181).
In women’s team competition, La Salle again dominated, posting a 185 aggregate through Lua and Chan. UP placed second at 207, powered by Datoc and Anica Cari (114). Mapua (June and Angeli Cawili) and CSB (Natasha Bantug and Olivia Bermudo) followed closely with scores of 220 and 221, respectively.
Other notable women’s scores included Cawili and Bantug at 106, Enderun’s Yanna Herrera with a 109, and several players—including UP’s Alyanna Yatco, Cari, and Mapua’s Angel Cawili—posting 114s. Bermudo finished with 115 to round out the top ten.
In the men’s side, UP’s Carpio and Miggy Roque tallied 77 and 78, placing fifth and sixth. They were followed by Laurel (79), FEATI U’s Samuel Sagaral (80), and a three-way tie at 81 among La Salle 2’s Lucas Aldeguer and Gelo Sagaral and CSB’s Guangko.
