ELITE FINALS: Precious leans on lessons from losses

Precious Zaragosa believes she grew a lot after close shaves in the recent National Amateur Strokeplay and Match Play Championships—coming up short taught her quite the lessons.

That is why she looks forward to helping Team South in the Junior PGT Elite Finals set for next week at Pueblo de Oro in Cagayan de Oro, where she will be playing for the love of her roots in Davao.

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“I’ve learned a lot playing in those two tournaments and coming up short,” the 15-year-old Zaragosa told the Inquirer over the phone after practice at Teakwood. “I’ve learned to be patient but, at the same time, take advantage of the chances you get.”

Zaragosa finished second behind Lisa Sarines in the Strokeplay before winding up second in the Match Play Championship behind Grace Quintanilla in their marathon finals that literally went down to the last hole.

“I had a 12-foot putt for birdie (to take the match to a 37th hole) that didn’t even graze the cup,” Zaragosa said. “It was a painful defeat in a way. But I was still proud of the way I played.”

Zaragosa banners the girls’ 15-18 South team together with Tashanah Balangauan and Cebu bets Apple Gotiong and Lois Lane Go, as they face a formidable North crew led by Strokeplay champion Lisa Sarines, her twin Mona, Rafa Anciano and Kendra Garingalao.

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A former junior national champion, Zaragosa actually resides in Canlubang, Laguna, where her father, swing coach Boyet, learned the game at Apo Golf in Davao but later became a standout of many Sugar Barons teams in the PAL Interclub in the 1990s and 2000s before deciding to move to Laguna for good.

But she has chosen to play the JPGT Visayas and Mindanao Series, even if that means flying to venues for tournaments.

“Davao is where I hail from, and this is the region I want to represent,” she said with pride. “That is where my parents are from, and I am super proud of where we come from.”

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Team North will be defending the title, and Zaragosa believes that it will be closer than the 26.5-21.5 loss the South endured last year.

“We have a little advantage when it comes to course familiarity,” she said. “But we (Southerners) still have to play well to maximize that advantage.”