SILANG, Cavite – Fidel Concepcion birdied the first two holes on the way to a two-under 69 and the early lead in the ICTSI Riviera Championship Tuesday at the Langer course here.
While the top guns pressed their bids in a windy start then faded in punishing conditions at the dreaded par-71 layout, Concepcion held on in a roller-coaster ride midway through and into the finish for a 34-35 round and a two-stroke lead over Anthony Fernando.
He eagled the par-5 10th but double-bogeyed the long par-3 12th then birdied No. 16 to negate an earlier mishap on the ninth and emerge the leader in the P2 million tournament marking the return of the Philippine Golf Tour after a three-month break.
“I played very well and happy to be able to play Philippine golf again,” said Concepcion, still in pursuit of a maiden championship. “I had led many times but just couldn’t sustain my game.”
Fernando, the former national champion still in the hunt for the elusive pro crown, produced a rare birdie feat on the tough finishing par-4 hole to salvage a 71 and seize solo second as Kuresh Samanodi bogeyed the last two holes and dropped to joint fifth at 73.
Most, however, will need to make things happen Wednesday as the race to the Top 40 plus ties heats up, including Juvic Pagunsan, Angelo Que, Jhonnel Ababa, Sean Ramos, Jobim Carlos, Ivan Monsalve and Jerson Balasabas, among others.
Pagunsan, back in the local hunt after a Japan Golf Tour stint with Que just last Sunday, rebounded from a bogey-bogey mishap from No. 2 with three birdies in the four-hole stretch from No. 4. But just when he thought he had the course, where he reigned in stormy conditions to cap a four-tournament run in 2019, all figured out again, he stumbled with a double-bogey on No. 10 then made a rare double-par finish on the par-4 11th after twice dumping his wedge shot into the water.
He birdied the 15th to salvage a 75 for joint 17th with four others, including former Philippine Open champion Clyde Mondilla, who hardly recovered from a frontside 40 with a lone backside birdie. Other four-over scorers were Jay Bayron, Arnold Villacencio and amateur Josh Jorge.
Like Pagunsan, Mondilla, runner-up in the first two legs of this year’s circuit put up by ICTSI and third placer in the third stop at Caliraya Springs, bogeyed Nos. 2 and 3, birdied the fifth but yielded two strokes on the next. He closed out the nine with back-to-back bogeys before birdying the 10th.
