Cebuano golf star Lloyd Jefferson Go kept the pressure on and vaulted to a three-stroke lead after the second round of action in the 2014 Philippine Amateur Open Golf Championship yesterday at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong City.
Mired in a deep hole after suffering a slow start for the second straight day, Go kept his head on straight and finished strong to record an even-par 72 and stay three-shots clear of the reigning champion, Jerome Ng of Singapore who had a 73 and four over first-day leader Jobim Carlos who finished with a 77.
Already three over after the first two holes—no thanks to a double bogey on the opening tee and another disastrous bogey on the ensuing hole—it seemed as if Go’s game would be as dark as the clouds that loomed above all day long.
But Go, an ace of the Cebu Country Club, kept his composure and sank a birdie on the 7th hole and followed that up with another one on the 13th which gave him the lead. He added an incredible 40-foot birdie on the 15th to solidify his grip of the lead.
In contrast, Carlos could not get his groove following early bogeys on the 3rd and 6th holes. He compounded his woes with bogeys on the 9th and 11th, opening an avenue for Ng to overtake him with two birdies on the front nine.