Carl Jano Corpus followed in the footsteps of his cousin, Aidric Chan, and became the second Filipino champion in the two weeks the Asian Development Tour has been in Morocco.

The 23-year-old Corpus, who turned pro at the start of the year, won the US$125,000 Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech – Al Maaden Golf Resorts in only his fifth start on the ADT and sixth as a professional. It came a week after Chan won the Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech – Samanah Golf Club.

It also meant that the two cousins will be staying back in the country to take part in next week’s US$2 million International Series Morocco. Corpus, tied ninth at Samanah, topped the aggregate money list from the two back-to-back ADT events, with Chan in second place.

On Sunday at the Kyle Phillips-designed golf course, Corpus edged Thailand’s Settee Prakongvech by one shot after a bogey-free round of seven-under par 65. Settee, the overnight joint leader, also shot a bogey-free round, but his 66 needed at least one more red number on the card to have any chance of stopping the promising Filipino star.

Settee Prakongvech of Thailand. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

The San Jose State University alumni finished on 25-under with Settee on 24-under. While it became a two-man battle towards the end, they had to overcome the initial challenge posed by Mexico’s Santiago De la Fuente. The 2024 Latin American Amateur Championship winner broke the course record held by another Mexican – Fernando Lira at the LET Golf Q School event – and Corpus on Saturday. The 11-under 61 gave him solo third place at 22-under.

American Charles Porter (64), Filipino Justin Quiban (65), Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig (66), Malaysia’s Marcus Lim (66) and Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool (69) were tied for fourth place at 19-under.

Corpus and Settee both started the final round at 18-under, and it was the 23-year-old Filipino who made the first move with three successive birdies from the second to fourth holes. The 30-year-old Thai then responded with four straight birdies from the sixth to ninth holes, and both players made the turn at 23-under.

On the back nine, Corpus edged ahead with a birdie on the 11th, but Settee caught up once again with a birdie on the par-5 13th. The two players were now locked at 24-under par.

Corpus may have missed his birdie on the 13th, but he delivered what proved to be the knock-out blow on the next par-5 16th hole. He made the birdie as Settee missed his, and that proved to be the difference in the end.

Santiago De la Fuente of Mexico. Picture by Vachira Kalong/Asian Tour

“I started thinking about it yesterday as soon as I finished my round that I could win this thing. And ever since, I have been feeling a lot of pressure on myself. I kept thinking what can I do for tomorrow? Honestly, I haven’t been in this position before. To get it done, it’s such a different experience. It’s something that I hope I can feel again in the near future,” said Corpus, who was 23-under for his last 57 holes with two eagles, 20 birdies and just one bogey.

“I am a champion. That’s something that’s not going to be taken away from me, something that I have until the rest of my life. I am definitely excited about the opportunity to play in an International Series event. It is all about getting the opportunity to play in bigger events, to showcase my talent and to showcase the support that I have back at home, and also here in Morocco with my mom. I am happy to have the opportunity to showcase the hard work that I put in to get here.”

Leading by one on the 18th hole, Corpus hit a great drive and then hit his second to 35 feet. His first putt left him a putt of less than two feet for the win.

“I was shaking at that point. It was like an earthquake because I just could not keep my putter stable. I am glad it went in,” added Corpus.

De la Fuente started his final round with eight birdies in the first nine holes. He cooled down on the back nine, but picked up three more shots to get into Al Maaden Golf Resorts’ history book.

“I played great and hit some very good shots out there. To achieve the course record here at Al Maaden is very unique for me,” said De la Fuente, who secured his best finish as a professional.

The Asian Development Tour takes a break after this and returns with the US$150,000 Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament in Indonesia’s Damai Indah Golf course from August 20-23.