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SILANG,
Cavite—Asian Tour veteran Cookie La’O and junior golfer
Jobim Carlos overcame another punishing windy day to
grab the overall lead midway through the seventh Konica
Minolta National Pro-Am Championship Thursday at the
Riviera Golf Club.
La’O and
Carlos churned out a six-over-par 77 (38-39) at the
difficult, par-71 Langer course for a 155 total. They
mixed three birdies with seven bogeys and a lone double
bogey on No. 2. Their total was above the cut-off score
of 179. They head for the next phase with eight of the
125 surviving two-man teams in the penultimate round
Friday.
“My
partner is very solid despite his youth,” said LaO, a
member of the national team to the 1998 World Team
Amateurs in Santiago, Chile.
The
little-known tandem of professional Ronald Pactolerin,
younger brother of many-time champion Robert, and
amateur Marbon Gonzales submitted an eight-over-par 79
for 157.
Trailing
them at joint second with 158s were Jun Cedo and Jessie
Balasabas (73) and Marlon Dizon and Bones Floro (78)
A
38-yard chip-in for birdie at the par-five fifth hole as
against four bogeys highlighted the first nine holes of
Pactolerin, 33, and Gonzales, 37. A birdie on No. 10
from eight feet failed to spark the team as they fell
victim to the strong winds which battered the course for
the second day.
They
dropped two strokes on Nos. 12 and 14. After a saved
par on the 15th, they wilted to mother nature’s power as
they floundered with a triple bogey on the next hole. A
routine par on No. 17 and a tough bogey putt from seven
feet gave them a 41 at the back side.
“The
winds were as strong as in the first round. Everybody
in the field struggled to get even a par under this
extreme condition. We were lucky to make shots when it
mattered most,” Pactolerin and Gonzales, appointed head
coach for the newly formed Surigao touring pro team,
told the BusinessMirror.
If the
leaders felt lucky, Dizon and Floro believed they were
luckier. They got to second place with a seven-over 78
for 158 despite two double bogeys on the seventh and
14th holes, three bogeys and no birdies to show.
“We did
better today but, taking a closer look at the score
board, it is still not a good one. With the winds
bothering us, it is best to keep the ball in the middle
where it is easier to make an easy shot,” said Dizon,
the Wack-Wack resident pro.
Cedo and
Balasabas’s two-over 73 was the best score so far in the
tournament. The first-day scoring average was a
whopping 89.5 with holes No. 2 and 8 tagged as the
killer holes.
“Kahit
nakatayo ka lang, mapapagalaw ka dahil sa malakas na
hangin. Dito, patibayan talaga ng diskarte and
kailangan,” said Balasabas, a member of the
Canlubang champion team in the recent 61st Philippine
Airlines (PAL) Interclub held in Bacolod City.
First
round co-leaders Roger Diocares, who hails from Baguio
City, and Korean Jae Yang dropped to third place with a
12-over 83 for 160. Eddie Bagtas and Korean pal Jo I.L.
carded a seven-over 78 for 161, also the same score put
up by Ebarra and JR Quiachon, combined for a nine-over
80, good for fourth.
Ronnie
Torrecampo and Mario Labajo, another amateur who played
for Canlubang in the PAL Interclub, submitted a 79 for
162 and were at solo fifth. Asian Tour regular Mars
Pucay and Joey Magcalayo improved with an 81 for 163.
At ninth
position were defending champion Gerard Cantada and
Erwin Vinluan who pooled in an 84 for 164 and were later
joined by Fernando Sta. Maria and Dino Villanueva (79)
and Asian Tour cardholder Jerome Delariarte and Park
Hyun-Keun (84). Edwin Sanchez and Neil Catalan have had
an 83 for 166 for 10th.
Other
scorers were Ramil Bisera-Vincent Gumapac 167 (84-83),
Robert Pactolerin-Bobby Milan 168 (86-82), Armando Eso-Jan
Tambogon 170 (87-83), Edgardo Salvador-Rufino Bayron 170
(87-83), Richard Sinfuego-Tatuaki Ozeki 170 (86-84),
Solomon Gines-JP Reyes 171 (88-83) and Leonardo
Estrera-Sanjok Moktan 172 (91-81).
The
four-day tournament has been an undertaking of the U-Bix
Corporation in cooperation with the National Golf
Association of the Philippines (NGAP). A check worth
P519,000 for the pro and a trophy for the amateur await
the overall winners. Runners-up pros will receive
P384,225 and P204,225, respectively.
PAL,
Pagcor, Stradcom Corporation, Grappa’s, ServiceMaster
Services, San Miguel Corporation, S-Yard, Pivo Praha,
Epson Printers, Toyota Motor Phils. Inc. (TMPI), Bank of
Commerce, Brother Office Equipment, Riso Digital
Duplicators, BPI, Metrobank, KM Bizhub, RCBC, Landbank
and Unionbank are sponsors. |
