AFTER FOUR exasperating years of frustrating losses, the Ateneo Golfers have finally hit their stride, emerging as a powerhouse team in collegiate golfing as they won their second championship this season.

Just a couple of months after winning the PCSO International Junior Golf Championships, the Ateneo Blue Golfers were raring for more as they completed one of the biggest turnarounds in the history of the Samsung Interscholastic Golf Championships against bitter-rival De La Salle University.

Come-from-behind win

The quintet of Gab Atienza, Edsel Tan, Rocco Sumabat, Johann See, and Ayon Sanchez accomplished the feat en route to the tournament championship at the Canlubang Golf and Country Club on September 15 to 17.

Trailing by a seemingly insurmountable eight-point lead on the third and final day, the triumvirate of Atienza, Tan and Sumabat took up the cudgels and orchestrated a sensational comeback that saw DLSU’s commanding lead evaporate as the Katipunan-based golfers took 31 strokes for a phenomenal 23-point triumph.

See admitted that they had doubts going into the finals because they were down by eight points. “Eight points is a big lead after all,” he said. “[But] we probably made the biggest comeback in the history of the tournament by taking 31 strokes and turning our deficit of eight into a lead of 23.”

Team Captain Atienza added, “We played really bad the first two days [so] there was a lot of pressure coming into the final day. [But] we just kept telling ourselves that we could beat them.”

Under-performed

Ateneo Team 2, on the other hand, collapsed with their dismal strokes as they fell to fifth place below College of Saint Benilde and La Salle Team-2 who finished third and fourth, respectively.

“Considering the amount of talent in team two, they didn’t perform as they were expected. If they all played their usual games, they would’ve given third place a close fight,” explained See.

“It’s really disappointing that our Team 2 finished dead last. They could have easily beaten DLSU Team-2 and gave CSB a fight,” added Atienza.

The Ateneo Lady Golfers, meanwhile, ended the tournament in third place.

Emerging victorious from the Samsung Interscholastic Golf Championships, the longest-running collegiate golf tournament, the Blue Golfers are already setting their sights on their next goal: the National Intercollegiate Golf Championships which is the last of the three tournaments for this season.