June 20: A fascinating quest that took Michele Ortolani (main image) to unheard-of places across the globe finally fructified in the form of a first international win for the Italian at the inaugural US$100,000 DigiPlus Philippine ADT Open on Saturday.

The 29-year-old Ortolan, who has missed just one cut this season in 10 starts and was runner-up after losing in a playoff at the Singha-SAT ADT Hua Hin Championship, was rewarded for his persistence and consistency. At the par-72 Luisita Golf and Country Club, he shot a final-round three-under-par 69 to reach 16-under total, which eventually proved to be one better than runner-up Ching-hung Su (68) of Chinese Taipei.

Argentina’s Franco Scorzato (69), and Malaysia’s Galven Green (72), were tied third at 14-under.

Michele Ortolani of Italy. Picture by Joki Escandor/ADT

Sean Ramos and Clyde Mondilla grabbed the two spots to the US$2 million Philippine Open on The International Series as the two leading Filipino golfers.

Ramos (71) was tied fifth at 11-under, his second top-five finish on the ADT this season, while Mondilla (68) was tied 11th at -8. Angelo Que (69, -10, tied 8th) was the second-best Filipino in the field, but he is already exempt to the tournament later in the year.

The front nine gave no hint of who’d pick up the trophy at the end of the day. At the turn, Ortolani, Ching-hung and Scorzato were tied for the lead at 13-under par, with Green just one behind at -12.

The back nine became a neck-and-neck race between Ortolani, playing in the lead group, and Ching-hung, playing one group behind. Both players made three birdies on the back nine, but the crucial difference was the Chinese Taipei player’s bogey on the par-4 14th hole. That was followed by a decisive, if conservative, birdie on the par-five 16th hole by the champion.

Ching-Hung Su of Chinese Taipei. Picture by Joki Escandor/ADT

The Milan-based Ortolani played several years on the Alps and HotelPlanner Tours in Europe, before deciding to ply his trade in Asia. He secured his ADT playing rights in 2023, and has also been a popular member on the PGT of India Tour. He said he knew in his heart that a win would come soon.

“It’s been a long while, and it’s always special to get that first win,” said Ortolani, who narrowly missed securing his Asian Tour card by a mere US$42 last year after missing the cut in the season-ending Aramco Invitational.

“In my mind, I already believed that I would have won eventually this year, because when you see this consistency, and it’s been since last year. I believe that you just need to do the work. I have learned that positive or negative thoughts are still thoughts that come in your way. I learned to deal with them and how to just stay in my lane.”

Ortolani said he had no idea where he was, or what Ching-Hung was doing, but he would have still played the 16th hole with a 2-iron off the tee and a 5-wood for his second shot. He did that and was left with a 15-footer birdie putt after a chip with a 54-degree wedge.

Sean Ramos (left) and Clyde Mondilla of the Philippines. Picture by Joki Escandor/ADT

“I had no idea of the scores. But even if I did, I would not have played that hole differently. I would have still played three shots. Probably, I would have had a little more pressure (if he knew the scores), but I tell you I already had a lot of pressure.”

On his journey so far, Ortolani added: “The decision to come to Asia and go to India has been tough, but it turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. Being in India has taught me a lot about gratitude for the life I get to live, and even playing golf there has taught me a lot. Like I need to put the ball in the fairway, try to make birdies with the wedges.

“So, at first people called me crazy, and now it has worked out. I think it really validates everything I’ve done. Hopefully, it’s only the beginning.”

Despite getting so close to his first win on the ADT, Ching-hung wasn’t disappointed. It was his third consecutive runners-up finish, following back-to-back PGA Tour of Taiwan events earlier this month.

“I feel I’ve performed quite well in all aspects this week. When I teed off today, I didn’t set my sights on winning; I just focused on hitting my shots well,” said Ching-hung.

“I also finished second in two previous Taiwan Tour events, so this second-place finish gives me a lot of confidence. It showed me that I need more patience and hard work to win.”

Ramos, who missed retaining his card on the Asian Tour this year after “missing it by a hair” last year (finished 71st in the Order of Merit with 65 players keeping their cards), was delighted to secure his place in the International Series event later this year.

“Very excited, of course,” said Ramos. “Being able to go back out there and then prove myself, and hopefully play better than I did last year in the last international Series, it would be great. Hopefully, I can get a win or play really well for that week.

“It was a great tournament, almost staged like a major championship. So many people attended that week and so many of my friends talked about it and have started playing golf because of it.”

The Asian Development Tour heads to Thailand next week for the Bangkok Classic.