Three players share first-round lead in Philippine Amateur Open Golf

JOBIM Carlos and Gregory Foo of Singapore struggled in the back nine while Clyde Mondilla birdied on the 8th hole to force a three-way tie for the lead at the start of the Philippine Amateur Open Golf Championship at Cangolf’s north course in Laguna yesterday.

Carlos, chasing a second straight crown after topping the NGAP National Doubles last week, nearly blew a four-under card with bogeys on holes 16 and 17 for a 34-36.

Foo, the reigning Singapore junior champion, missed seizing the solo lead with a final-hole bogey for a pair of 35s as the fancied bets lived up to the hype and took charge of the star-studded field in the 72-hole championship.

Mondilla eagled the par-5 17th and went three-under with a birdie on No. 1. But the former national champion failed to sustain his charge and dropped strokes on Nos. 4 and 5, needing to birdie the par-4 No. 8 to put himself in early contention.

The troika took a one-shot lead over Del Monte’s Leonard Lofranco, who strung up rounds of 36-35 while Andres Saldana matched par 72 for a share of fifth with Choi Jae Seung of Riviera and Lawrence Celestino of Eastridge.

Lovelynn Guioguio also almost squandered a four-stroke lead with a double bogey on No. 17, settling for an even par 72 and a two-stroke margin over ICTSI teammate Dottie Ardina in the ladies side. Guioguio, who rallied from behind to beat Ardina and capture the Samsung Amateur Open crown last year, made back-to-back birdies from No. 2 to set her bid in motion. She stumbled with a bogey on No. 6 but birdied Nos. 9 and 11 to go three-under. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio