DAVAO CITY – A pair of Philippine Golf Tour Q-School graduates put up stellar performances, matching par-72s for a share of one-shot lead in the ICTSI Apo Classic at the Apo Golf and Country Club here Tuesday.
Japanese Ozeki Kakeru, coming off an impressive fourth-place finish in last week’s Q-School at the nearby South Pacific, birdied three of the last four holes to salvage a 38-34.
Edmar Salvador, Jr., meanwhile, maintained his good form from the previous week where he tied for 15th, consistently executing a focused game plan throughout the round, bucking the grueling course conditions made even more daunting by the sleek putting surface.
That put them a stroke ahead over reigning OOM winner Jhonnel Ababa, Zanieboy Gialon and Korean Gwon Minwook, another recent Q-School graduate, in the P2.5 million championship put up by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.
Homegrown talents Elmer Salvador and Jay Bayron posted identical 74s for joint sixth with Russell Bautista and Nilo Salahog after 18 holes of the tournament supported by PGTI official apparel Kampfortis Golf.
Despite a challenging start, Tony Lascuna, who dominated the elite field here in 2019, rallied in the latter part of the round, gaining two strokes in the last five holes to rescue a 75 and land in a tie for 10th spot with Ira Alido, Keanu Jahns, Mars Pucay, Japanese Kei Matsuoka, Dutchman Guido van der Valk, Rupert Zaragosa, Korean Min Hyeok Yu and last year’s Q-School topnotcher Hyun Ho Rho, also from Korea.
ABABA UP BY 1
Meantime, Sarah Ababa drained a lengthy birdie putt on No. 17 to spike a gutsy 72, pulling ahead by one over Mikha Fortuna and rookie Mafy Singson in the distaff side.
Ababa’s dramatic putt from 24 feet on the penultimate hole of the Apo course, where she honed her skills, brought stability to a rollercoaster round where the leaderboard witnessed constant changes with every missed shot and converted putt.
But hot on her trail are two former national team standouts as Fortuna endured a tough frontside test, finishing with a birdie on the last hole to salvage a 73. Singson, on the other hand, bogeyed the 18th for a 38-35 and missed joining Ababa at the top.
Singson noted the challenging ball bounces on Apo’s tight fairways, leading to some bad kicks and resulting in bogeys. Despite mixed fortunes on the greens, she lamented the difficult pin placements.
Several other contenders stayed in the mix of the 54-hole championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. with Chanelle Avaricio turning in a 75 marred by a double bogey on No. 10 and marked by three birdies against four bogeys for solo fourth, and Harmie Constantino posting a 76 for fifth.
Reigning Order of Merit winner Daniella Uy struggled with a 77 while Florence Bisera carded a 78 for a share of seventh with Miya Legaspi and Gretchen Villacencio.
