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IT was a
day when nobody seems to have a good round. Not until
one man submitted his score card with a very wide
grin.
Hanson
So Jr. carded a one-under 71 at the tough East course as
he churned in the only sub-par round among the 25
aspirants after the first day of the qualifying
tournament for the 91st Philippine Open held at the Wack
Wack Golf and Country Club.
The
27-year-old So, who turned pro last year, bogeyed the
first hole but had birdies on the third and fifth. He
limped home with a bogey on the dreaded No. 8 and
another on the ninth to finish the front side with
37.
Ever
determined, So shot birdies in the 11th and 13th and
registered five pars the rest of the way for a two-under
34 and that 71 total.
“Naka-tsamba
lang. Malayo pa ito,” said So, who missed the cut in
the 90th RP Open last May.
Carito
Villaroman, a many-time winner in the junior world in
the 1980s in the US, and Louie Dacudao came up with
identical even-par 72s to join So in the top seeding
heading into today’s final round.
Villaroman had a modest four birdies as against four
bogeys but was not satisfied with his game. Ditto with
Davao-native Dacudao, 32, who could have ended
one-under, too, if not for his missed four-foot par putt
on the 18th.
Only 10
players with the best scores in the two-day qualifiers
conducted by the National Golf Association of the
Philippines (NGAP) will be accepted in the RP Open, the
oldest national championship in Asia, which is set from
January 11 to 14, 2007 also at Wack Wack.
An all
amateur-group composed of Miko Alejandro, Jong Laput and
Kevin Tayao were bunched from fourth to sixth place with
two-over 74s followed Raymund Sangil’s 77. Barging into
the top 10 were John Kier Abdon, Antolin Fernando and
Rico Depilo with 78 apiece.
Just a
stroke back, and still in the running were Marcial Puyat,
Marlon Dizon and the come-backing Cassius Casas. Miko
Yee’s tally ballooned to six-over 80, the same output of
Benjie Sarmiento and Brixton Aw.
Other
scores: Kheed Ng (81), Venjo Reyes (81), Bong Igaya
(82), Wolen Superal (82), Gabriel Villareal (84), Fredo
Casiao (85), Justine Tambunting (86), Gino Bunyi (86)
and Juan Miguel Yee (91).
Chairman’s Cup
The
eighth Chairman’s Cup, an event specifically thanking
the members for their continuous support of the all-club
sports programs, tees-off today at the Camp John Hay
Golf Club course in
Baguio
City.
The
annual Chairman’s Cup has drawn a field of more than 250
members and guests, led by club chairman Robert John L.
Sobrepeña. They will be vying for top honors and
fabulous raffle prizes at stake in the two-day event.
Sobrepeña is expected to be in the flight with the
invited VIP guests that include former Philippine
President Fidel V. Ramos, Baguio City Rep. Mauricio
Domogan and acting Mayor Peter Rey Bautista and National
Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP) president
Leandro Mendoza.
The
tournament will use the 18-hole, medal play format
spread over two days of fun golf. Participants will be
divided into five divisions according to their handicap
indices. |
