Hernandez, Sarines reset before shooting for sweet sweeps

Jet Hernandez —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Jet Hernandez played with a lot of laser-like focus at Pradera Verde this week to successfully defend his NGAP National Strokeplay Championship. As a reward to himself, it’s now time to see the latest Spiderman movie before he embarks on a sweet sweep quest as the top favorite in the Match Play Championship set to start on Tuesday at Luisita in Tarlac.

“I’m a big Marvel fan,” Hernandez told the Inquirer, hours after competing an astounding 22-shot win for the men’s title and sharing the champion’s stage with ladies winner, young Lisa Sarines. “I just want to sit back, relax, watch a movie and then have dinner with the family.

“And then Sunday night, it’s off to Luisita and on to the next,” he went on as he banners basically the same field in the Match Play tournament that he said would require a different mental approach.

“There’s no pressure in terms of forcing myself to win both,” the 21-year-old, who fired a final round two-under-par 70 at the Pinatubo layout on Friday for a 72-hole 269 tally, added. “But I am a competitor, and I want to win. It will be the same mindset for me, but playing match (format) will definitely require a different kind of mental game.”

Sarines, meanwhile, let the child in her come out right after the awards ceremony, shortly after shooting a 76 that completed a 15-shot win over Tashanah Balangauan for the ladies crown literally disputed by young girls.

“This is to let all that stress out. This is the best way,” Sarines told the Inquirer as she took to the theme park inside the vast Pradera complex to let some steam off together with Balangauan, Precious Zaragosa and twin sister Mona. “It has been a very demanding week. We all deserve this.”

Balangauan and the 15-year-old Zaragosa also fired 76s and finished in the next two spots, with Zaragosa a good 20 shots behind. “This is my reset,” Sarines went on. “Because on Sunday I will be trying to figure out how to play Luisita. That’s a tough course, a totally different challenge (than this week).”

Chris Remata turned in his first sub-par card of the week, a 70, to catch Rolando Bregente at 291 for joint second spot as Bregente closed out with a 74. Jacob Rolida assembled a 74 for fourth spot, two strokes behind Remata and Bregente, with Jed Dy firing a 76 to round out the top five at 295.