DAVAO CITY– Lloyd Go and Sean Ramos shot identical five-under-par 67s to take a one-stroke lead at the start of the ICTSI Palos Verdes Championship at the Rancho Palos Verdes Golf and Country Club on Tuesday.
Ira Alido and Emilio Panimdim, Jr. were a stroke back after a 68 while Reymond Jaraula shot 67 as the round played in breezy but hot condition that proved tough for many but not for the leaders.
Go and Ramos were coming form a stints at the Lexus Challenge, an Asian Development Tour event in Vietnam, and said they learned valuable lessons there although Go missed the cut and Ramos finished 47th.
“It was windy and super-hot in Vietnam, so I kind of gotten used to it already,” said Go.
Speaking of his round at Palos, Go said, ” I played very good out there, didn’t make any bogeys and made a lot of up-and-downs (for pars).”
Go highlight
The highlight of his 35-32 round was a chip-in birdie on the par-3 17th that turned what could’ve been a bogey into a momentum-shifting moment.
“It could’ve been a bogey but chipped it in, so practically that’s a 2-shot swing,” he added.
Ramos also made an impressive start, overcoming an early slip on No. 2 with four birdies in the next six holes. Birdies on Nos. 12 and 14 propelled him to co-lead the stellar field in the P2 million championship sponsored by ICTSI.
“I think it (ADT stint) helped me because it showed that I still had a lot of things to work on,” said Ramos, who tied for 46th at the Lexus Challenge. “So, I think today (Tuesday), my swing was feeling better. My driving and iron game were really okay.”
Alido’s 68 featured five birdies against a lone bogey. He credited his long game for his strong start.
“Unlike last week, I used a lot of drivers, which was my strongest point. But the difference is in clubbing and holding a lot of wedges is also a strong part of my game,” said Alido.
Panimdim, who tied for 23rd in the PGT Q-School at South Pacific golf course and finished 38th during the PGT’s first leg in Apo, had an eagle-birdie windup at the front to tie Alido.
Jaraula recovered from a wobbly start to finish with a flurry of frontside birdies, while Nelson Huerva, Korean Mingi Kim and Guido van der Valk, who lost in sudden death to Jhonnel Ababa in the Apo Golf Classic, shared sixth spot with 70s.
Jay Bayron scored 70 for joint ninth with Russel Bautista, Paul Echavez, Albin Engino, Keanu Jahns and Dino Villanueva.
However, several top performers from the Apo leg struggled to adapt to the challenges posed by the rolling Rancho Palos Verdes layout.
Jhonnel Ababa, the winner at Apo, struggled. He made a double bogey at No. 1 and ended up with a 76 and in danger of missing the 40 and ties cut. He is tied 41st with Clyde Mondilla, Arnold Villacencio, Magno Arancon, Jr. and Rico Depilo.
Angelo Que, who is also back from an International Series campaign in Macau, gunned down four birdies but fumbled with two bogeys and a double bogey for a 72 , joint 15th with Q-School topnotcher Aidric Chan, Michael Bibat, Marvin Dumandan, Ivan Monsalve, Art Arbole, Randy Garalde and Francis Morilla.
Lascuña struggled with a 73 for a share of 23rd with Elee Bisera, Fidel Concepcion, Japanese Koji Inoue, Edmar Salvador, Jr. and Rupert Zaragosa, while rookie Ryan Monsalve, who placed a strong fifth at Apo, slowed down with a 74 for solo 29th.
