Keanu Jahns (left) gets a congratulatory handshake from Angelo Que. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO .
Keanu Jahns peeled away from Angelo Que in the back nine with four birdies in a six-hole stretch that highlighted a closing eight-under-par 64, which marked his return as a champion in the Philippine Golf Tour on Friday.
Gunning down 10 total birdies to tally a 72-hole 266 for the ICTSI Caliraya Springs Championship crown, the 29-year-old Jahns won for the first time this season while denying Que a third title after an enthralling final-round shootout that lasted until the 68th hole.
Jahns birdied the 15th and 17th to put the tournament to bed, as Que dropped a shot on the penultimate hole that completely doomed his chances, closing out with a 69 for a 270.
“I just stayed composed and kept pace with Angelo,” Jahns, who won P440,000 out of the P2.5 million pot, said. “We were battling it out. It was a great match.”
Rupert Zaragoza fired a 68 to finish third, eight shots behind, with Fidel Concepcion matching par to be another two shots back.
Carl Corpus, the halfway leader, closed out with a 70 with Justin Quiban shooting a 67 for 280 tallies.
Jahns started the final round just a shot ahead of Que, and both had five birdies each in the front nine that made it super interesting.
The turning point came on the 15th, where Jahns moved two shots ahead with a birdie.
But it wasn’t until the 17th, Jahns admitted, that he felt it was over.
“After I birdied No. 15 to go two up, I felt more confident,” said Jahns. “On 16, we both had to grind for par. Then on 17, Angelo hit the bunker and made bogey. I made birdie.”
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