Cebuano Hong keeps title hopes alive

CEBUANO professional golfer Charles “Chuckie” Hong kept within striking distance in a bid for his second title on the tour as he carded a two-under par 70 in the opening round of the ICTSI Sherwood Hills Classic yesterday at the Sherwood Hills course in Trece Martirez, Cavite.

Hong, a stalwart of the Cebu Country Club who won his first-ever professional title at Pueblo de Oro last year, played a solid round but fumbled with a bogey on the 17th to fall into a tie with Ferdie Aunzo and Christopher De los Santos with identical scores of 70.

The day though, belonged to the reigning Asian Development Tour Order of Merit winner, Jay Bayron, who sizzled at the back-nine with a string of birdies for a four-under 68. He birdied five of the last nine holes in impressive fashion to negate a two-bogey mishap in the first three holes and surge past the field for the lead in the P2.5 million kickoff leg of this year’s ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour.

Bayron, who lost in a three-man playoff at The Country Club Invitational won by Frankie Minoza last month, actually launched his fightback with a birdie on the par-5 No. 8 then birdied the first two holes at the back to spark his backside binge.

Marvin Dumandan struggled with his putting on his way home and blew a three-under card after No. 15 with bogeys in two of the last three holes for a 71 in a tie with Orlan Sumcad and Miguel Tabuena, a two-leg winner in last year’s staging of the annual tour. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio