UNHERALDED golfers Richard Abaring and Rico Depilo took the top two spots at the start of the P1 million Pueblo de Oro Championship with a 67 and an eagle-spiked 68, respectively in Cagayan de Oro City yesterday.
The duo frolicked at the backside of the par-72 layout, closing out with a pair of four-under 32s that fueled their surge to the top of the 91-player field vying for the P200,000 prize in the11th leg of the ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour.
Cookie La’O rallied at the front with a 32 in one of the last flights and turned in a 69 for third while Christopher delos Santos shot a 70 and Rufino Bayron, Charles Hong, Rey Pagunsan, Florencio Pioquinto and Orlan Sumcad all had 71s.
Abaring, who had two missed cuts after 10 legs in a so-so campaign in the season, birdied Nos. 2 and 3 and bucked a bogey on the fifth and took a couple of missed opportunities in the next four holes with back-to-back birdies from No. 11.
Sustaining his form, he knocked down superb iron shots to set up birdie putts on Nos. 14 and 17 and found himself the surprise leader in the 54-hole tournament. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio