Top seed Chihiro Ikeda and fancied Rianne Malixi romped away with convincing victories to advance while No. 2 Harmie Constantino needed to toughen up in the stretch to squeak past Mafy Singson, 1-up, at the start of the ICTSI Villamor Match Play Invitational at the Villamor Golf Club yesterday.
Sunshine Baraquiel shone early by taking five of the first seven holes at the back and bundled out Eva Miñoza five holes later with a 7&6 rout, leading the assault of the top-ranked bets in the novel championship capping the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour season, which featured 11 legs at various championship courses in Luzon.
“I shot four birdies but made a double at the par-3 No. 17 and finished with seven pars,” said Baraquiel, seeking a follow-up to a career breakthrough at Highlands in wicked conditions last year.
She flourished off the mound and got good looks at the pins which she hopes to produce against Constantino as action heats up in the head-to-head clashes leading to a crack at the championship worth P280,000.
Ikeda, who gained the top seeding after winning her second LPGT Order of Merit title on victories at Mount Malarayat and Eagle Ridge-Aoki, imposed her will against Martina Miñoza and posted a 4&2 victory while Malixi, actually the most fancied in the 16-player roster, sized up Pamela Mariano in the first four holes at the back then went 2-up on No. 17.
The 15-year-old amateur star, who swept all her three stints in this year’s LPGT at Luisita, Valley and Riviera, then held sway at the front to carve out a 3&2 triumph for a quarterfinal face-off with Gretchen Villacencio, who repelled Kristine Fleetwood, 2&1.
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In men’s side, top-ranked Guido Van der Valk, No. 2 Tony Lascuña and the next three seeded bets bundled out their respective rivals in varying fashions but Fidel Concepcion stunned No. 6 Michael Bibat on the 20th hole.
Van der Valk eased out No. 32 Dan Cruz, 4&2; Lascuña shrugged off an early miscue to subdue fellow Davaoeño Paul Echavez, 3&1; No. 3 Clyde Mondilla, who rallied to win the revival of the Philippine Masters here at the quaint military layout in 2017, held off Mars Pucay, 2-up; and Caliraya Springs leg winner Zanieboy Gialon trampled Art Arbole, 4&2.
He gets a chance to redeem himself from his last failed bid here as he takes on Jerson Balasabas, who beat him in sudden death in the Philippine Masters in 2018. Balasabas repulsed Dino Villanueva on the 20th hole.
Lascuna groped for his putting touch but recovered in time to see off Echavez although he stressed the need to polish his stroke to keep him in the title hunt worth P280,000.
But the four-time OOM winner gears up for grind out clash in today’s Last 16 stage with three-time Asian Tour champion Angelo Que, who edged Orlan Sumcad, 1-up, to seal perhaps the most gripping face-off ahead of the finals.
The fifth ranked Miguel Tabuena and Que, in the lower half of the 32-player draw at No. 18, bucked fatigue and rivals of contrasting strengths to join the fancied bets and a slew of lesser lights to the next round of the first-ever head-to-head event in the country’s premier men’s and women’s pro circuit put up by ICTSI.
But while Tabuena, who with Que just came from an exhausting trip from Egypt where they vied in an Asian Tour event, hardly worked up a sweat in dispatching Richard Sinfuego, 6&4, the latter went through some anxious moments before foiling Sumcad.
Tabuena tests Rupert Zaragosa’s mettle after latter dominated legend Frankie Miñoza, 6&4.
