MANILA Philippines -- Farm Fresh swept fellow debuting Galeries Tower, 25-23, 25-22, 25-15, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Tuesday for a winning start at the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series. Tied at 7 in the third set, the Foxies pulled away from the Risers with an 11-0 run to seize control at 18-7 and eventually finished the match on a Trisha Tubu down the line hit. Mylene Paat-Rezanova led Farm Fresh with 14 points on 11 attacks and three blocks, while Tubu and Ces Molina aided her with nine points apiece. Erika Deloria paced Galeries Tower with 10 points.

MANILA, Philippines – Tiffany Lee turned a five-shot deficit into a commanding four-stroke lead in a stunning reversal of fortunes, firing a bogey-free 67 to seize control of the ICTSI Pueblo de Oro Championship on Tuesday and move within 18 holes of ending a two-year title drought. In a dramatic turnaround at the P1.25-million Ladies Philippine Golf Tour event, the young Korean capitalized on Yvon Bisera’s back-nine meltdown, transforming a seemingly comfortable deficit into a commanding position heading into Wednesday’s final round. Lee, who opened with a 73, surged from five shots behind with a two-day 140, while Bisera, the overnight leader after a superb opening 68, saw her lead evaporate in a disastrous stretch that featured back-to-back double bogeys. She limped home with a 76 for a 144, leaving her four strokes behind the player she had comfortably led through the first 18 holes. It was a remarkable reversal on a course that demands resilience at every turn – and one that proved unforgiving when Bisera’s game began to unravel. Bisera appeared firmly in control early, recovering from two opening bogeys in the first round to reel off six birdies and build a four-shot cushion over Sarah Ababa. She looked poised to consolidate that advantage Tuesday, matching Lee’s early charge with a steady frontside 35 as the Korean scorched the front nine in 32. But the momentum swung violently at the turn. Bisera suffered costly double bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11, while Lee kept her card clean with routine pars, suddenly vaulting into a two-shot lead. The overnight leader could not arrest the slide, managing six consecutive pars before dropping another stroke on the 18th for a disastrous 76. Lee, meanwhile, kept her nerve and refused to give the course – or the pressure – an opening. She birdied No. 16 for the second straight day and closed with a five-under card without a bogey, completing an eight-stroke swing from Bisera’s opening-round advantage. “My putting was excellent today, and I hit a lot of greens in regulation, so I’m really happy with how I played,” said Lee. A timely equipment change also helped fuel her charge. On her father’s advice, she switched from a 10-degree driver to a 9-degree model after struggling to find the desired distance in the opening round. “It was windy out there, and changing drivers gave me more distance. That meant shorter clubs into the greens, which was a big key to my low score,” said Lee. Although she found only seven fairways, Lee made up for her wayward driving with improved distance off the tee, shorter approaches and a putter that repeatedly came to the rescue. Still, her round was far from a trouble-free march to the top. The defining moment came on the par-5 15th, where Lee briefly flirted with disaster before producing the kind of recovery that can turn a round – and perhaps a tournament – around. With the pressure mounting as Bisera stumbled behind her, Lee elected to attack with a 3-wood on her second shot rather than play conservatively. The decision backfired when she hooked the ball and feared it had found a hazard. She eventually located her ball, but in an awkward lie. Forced to scramble, Lee played out and advanced it as far as she could toward the green, leaving herself with a long putt to save par. She drained it. “I was really feeling the pressure, and I nearly made a big mistake on No. 15,” Lee said. “I went for the 3-wood instead of playing it safe and hooked the shot. I thought the ball had gone into a hazard, but I found it in a bad lie. I just played out and tried to get it as close to the green as I could.” “Fortunately, I made it to the green and sank a very, very long putt for par. That was the turning point for me,” she said. The escape steadied Lee at a crucial juncture. She followed with another birdie on No. 16, then maintained her composure over the closing holes to complete a round that combined attacking golf, timely putting and a vital dose of fortune. The 18-year-old now has a golden opportunity to rediscover the winning touch that marked her explosive arrival on the professional circuit. Lee burst onto the LPGT scene in 2024, winning the Splendido Taal crown in her professional debut after an impressive Junior PGT campaign that included a playoff victory over seasoned campaigner Chihiro Ikeda for the Lakewood title earlier that year. Her camp subsequently encouraged her to turn professional at just 16, and she immediately justified the move by overcoming a strong field in challenging conditions at Splendido. The breakthrough, however, was followed by a string of less convincing results. A tie for fourth at Summit Point and a recent stint on the Taiwan LPGA circuit offered encouraging signs, but her performance at Pueblo de Oro now puts her on the verge of another major triumph. Standing between Lee and a return to the winner’s circle is Bisera, whose bid for a third victory this year took a severe hit after her costly back-nine collapse. The two-leg winner at Lakewood and Pradera Verde still has 18 holes to mount a recovery, but she will need a far steadier performance to overcome the four-shot deficit. Gretchen Villacencio carded a 71 to tie Martina Miñoza, who struggled to a 75, for third at 149, nine strokes off Lee’s pace. Velinda Castil shot a 77 to join Ababa, who faltered with a 78, in fifth at 150, leaving the championship increasingly shaped by the duel between Lee’s surging confidence and Bisera’s bid to recover from a costly day of missed opportunities. After Tuesday’s wild swing in momentum, Lee holds the advantage – and the chance to turn a remarkable comeback into a long-awaited return to the winner’s circle. TMT

Freshly crowned China Open champion Zheng Qinwen will be hoping to keep her renaissance on the court going when she makes her debut at the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open in November. Zheng will be joined by Venus Williams, who is returning for the third time, and Alexandra Eala. The 24-year-old became the first Chinese player to clinch the Beijing title on Sunday and also made it to the US Open quarter-finals, losing to eventual champion Elena Rybakina in September. “I am delighted to be...

Freshly crowned China Open champion Zheng Qinwen will be hoping to keep her renaissance on the court going when she makes her debut at the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open in November. Zheng will be joined by Venus Williams, who is returning for the third time, and Alexandra Eala. The 24-year-old became the first Chinese player to clinch the Beijing title on Sunday and also made it to the US Open quarter-finals, losing to eventual champion Elena Rybakina in September. “I am delighted to be...

MANILA, Philippines — IT’S on to the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Dakar for nine young athletes aged no older than 17 seeing action in the games’ fourth edition set October 31 to November 13. “They are the future Olympians, future world champions and the Dakar YOG will provide them the platform to follow the footsteps of the Diazes and Yulos,” said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, referring to the country’s Olympic gold medalists Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo and Carlos Yulo. Carrying the country’s colors in Dakar are Pi Durden Wangkay (men’s 200m) and Naomi Marjorie Caesar (women’s 800m) in athletics, Jamesray Mishael Ajido (men’s 100m butterfly) and Riannah Chantelle Coleman (women’s 100m breaststroke) in aquatics, Maritanya Krog (women's road and individual time trial) in cycling, Tchelzy Maayo and Hillarion Palles III in artistic gymnastics, Angel Polo (women's Taijiquan combined) in wushu and Jade Justiniane in windsurfing of sailing. Philippine Taekwondo Association secretary-general Rocky Samson is the Chef de Mission to the YOG that are also staged every four years (Singapore 2010, Nanjing 2014 and Buenos Aires 2018) line the Summer Olympics—the Dakar edition is the first time that an Olympics event is being held on African soil. The YOG come off the heels of the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games where the country posted an improved performance with four gold, nine silver and 16 bronze medals, and before the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Riyadh from December 13 to 21. The Philippines has so far two medals in the YOG—Luis Gabriel Moreno won a gold medal in mixed international team event of archery with China’s Li Jiaman in Nanjing and Christian Tio silver in boys’ twin-tip racing of kiteboarding. Some 2,700 athletes from more than 200 National Olympic Committees, including a Youth Refugee Olympic Team, are seeing action in 25 competition and 10 engagement sports. TMT

MANILA, Philippines – Under the punishing heat and amid a dizzying shuffle atop the leaderboard, Rupert Zaragosa kept his composure, closed with a flourish and surged into a share of the lead with Russel Bautista halfway lead in the ICTSI Pueblo de Oro Championship in Cagayan de Oro on Tuesday. Zaragosa produced a scorching five-under 67, putting together a solid round highlighted by timely birdies and a strong finish to erase the gap and catch Bautista at the helm at eight-under 136. While the pressure intensified and the lead changed hands several times at Pueblo de Oro Golf and Country Club, Zaragosa remained steady, capitalizing on his opportunities to position himself for a serious title bid heading into the next two rounds. Bautista, meanwhile, appeared poised to preserve his solo lead after another gutsy round but saw his advantage slip away with a costly bogey on the 18th. The late miscue left him with a 69 and forced him to settle for a share of the halfway lead, setting the stage for a compelling battle as the championship enters its decisive stretch. While the scorching conditions tested the players' stamina and concentration, Zaragosa stayed focused, making three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the front nine to cap another steady round on the demanding 6,974-yard layout. “I had a solid round, especially with my driving and putting. I also hit a lot of good second shots, which gave me plenty of birdie opportunities,” said Zaragosa in Filipino, who made up for his lack of distance with smart course management and precise execution. Knowing the course could be a long challenge for him, Zaragosa stuck to a simple game plan. “I know the course is a bit long for me, so my strategy is to make pars on the long holes and create birdie opportunities on the shorter ones,” he said. His only blemish was a three-putt bogey on No. 16, which interrupted an early charge highlighted by three birdies in his first six holes at the back. But Zaragosa quickly regained momentum on the front side, birdying Nos. 3, 6 and 8 to tie Bautista. He fell short of his bid for a hat-trick in Negros Occidental last month, but his latest performance put him in familiar territory, with a cluster of proven winners still within striking distance. Bautista, meanwhile, appeared poised to stay on top at nine-under heading into the final hole. He had kept pace with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 14 and 15, then held firm with pars on the next two holes before his late miscue proved costly. Bautista missed the 18th green and failed to convert a 10-foot par putt. The setback was a reminder of his painful near-miss at South Pacific last year, when he lost to Jeffren Lumbo in a grueling five-hole playoff after having a clear opportunity to claim his breakthrough victory. “My driving was good today, but I missed some second shots and failed to save par,” said Bautista in Filipino. Despite the stumble, he remained encouraged by his iron play, which helped him set up seven birdie putts from inside seven feet. With two rounds left, he was determined to maintain that form. “I know I'm up against a lot of tournament winners, but I'm confident in my game. I just hope my driving, iron play and putting remain sharp over the last two days,” he said. Keanu Jahns also stayed in contention, carding a second straight 69 to join Clyde Mondilla, who shot a 70, at three-under 138, three shots off the pace. Consistency could prove decisive on a course where even a comfortable lead can quickly disappear. Lumbo, meanwhile, made four birdies but lost ground with a triple-bogey 8 on the par-five 17th. His 71 left him alone in fifth at 139. Jelbert Gamolo endured another roller-coaster round, turning in an impressive 33 on the back nine before two bogeys on the final nine holes left him with a 71 and a 140 total for sixth place. Amateur Ralph Batican continued to hold his own against the Philippine Golf Tour's leading pros, shooting a gutsy 71 to share seventh place at 141 with Zanieboy Gialon, who also carded a one-under-par round. Ira Alido charged back with a 69 to tie Elee Bisera (71) and Marvin Dumandan (72) at 143 with 36 holes still to play and plenty of time for the standings to change. The demanding Pueblo de Oro layout has repeatedly shown how quickly fortunes can turn, particularly when the heat compounds the challenge and a couple of errant shots can erase several strokes of advantage. Several of the Tour's established stars remained well off the pace. Two-leg winner Angelo Que carded a 71 for a 145 total, the same aggregate as Reymon Jaraula, who shot 76. Jhonnel Ababa stood at 148 after a 73, while Tony Lascuña was at 149 following a 75. With two rounds remaining, Zaragosa caught Bautista at the top but the chasing pack remained close enough to keep the title race wide open. Forty-four players made the cut at 153, including Batican’s fellow amateurs Marc Lu (76-152) and Jacob Rolida (78-153). Hall of Famer Frankie Miñoza, meanwhile, bounced back with a 73 to finish at 151, earning a share of 36th place. TMT

Farm Fresh turned to veteran Mylene Paat-Rezanova in blanking Galeries, 25-23, 25-22, 25-15, to kick off its 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The back-and-forth scoring and hard-fought matches right up to the final moments at the city's sports hall demonstrated the event's high level of competition.

PVL 2026 All Filipino-Siklab Series Farm Fresh def. Galeries Tower (3-0) Mylene Paat-Rezanova Player of the Game #PVL2026