Cebuano Dy keeps bid alive at PGT Qualifying tourney

Up-and-coming Cebuano golfer Mark Dy remained on track for a berth in the 2013 Philippine Golf Tour (PGT) as he shot a seven-over par 79 for the third straight day in the PGT Qualifying School at the Splendido Taal Golf Club in Tagaytay yesterday.

Dy was a vital component in the Cebu Country Club’s romp towards the title in the 66th Philippine Airlines Interclub last weekend, and he remained consistent with his game, tallying the same score that he has had over the last two days for a total of 237. He is currently in 30th place and is at the edge of qualifying for this year’s pro circuit.

The top 30 and 10 foreign bets after four rounds will clinch berths in the upcoming ICTSI-PGT circuit, which starts with the ICTSI Sherwood Hills Classic on March 20.

Meanwhile, Dutch golfer Guido Van der Valk maintained his pace and shot a 71 to pull away from the pack with a whopping eight-shot lead over two Japanese players to virtually put a lock on the top spot.

Van der Valk, who built a three-shot lead with a 67 Wednesday, rebounded from a faulty 38 at the front with three birdies in the last nine holes for that 71 that gave the Dutch ace a 54-hole haul of six-under 210.

That was eight shots up on Tomokazu Yoshinaga and Toru Nakajima, who failed to match Van der Valk’s sizzling windup at the up-and-down layout and settled for 70 and 76, respectively, for a pair of 218s.

Still, the three foreign bets assured themselves of cards on this year’s 17-leg ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour firing off next week at Sherwood with Belem Arancon still the leading local player at No. 4 with a 224 after a 76. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio