Filipino golfer Albin Engino and South Korea's Hyun Ho Rho delivered impressive opening rounds of 65 to share the lead in the ICTSI Bacolod Golf Challenge at the Bacolod Golf and Country Club. The tournament, disrupted by rain, featured contrasting approaches from the two leaders.
Engino, a journeyman seeking his first breakthrough on the Philippine Golf Tour, showcased a strong back nine. His round, highlighted by consecutive birdies within 12 feet, resulted in a 34-31 for a five-under-par score. His consistent play earned him a share of the lead with Rho, who made a quick impact with four birdies earlier in the day.
Rho, a top finisher in last year's Philippine Golf Tour Q-School, quickly established himself with four birdies, including a streak of three from the third hole. Despite a lone bogey on the back nine, the young, aggressive Korean golfer maintained his momentum and added two more birdies to tie Engino at the top of the P2.5 million championship presented by Negros Power and Electric Corp.
Engino expressed his satisfaction with his performance, stating, "I didn't expect to lead as there are many strong players, but I did my best. My driving, iron play, and putting were all solid, so I just waited for the birdies to come."
Rho, playing his first round at the challenging Bacolod layout, was pleased with his strategy. "I tried to be aggressive and just enjoy myself," he said. "There's nothing to change in my approach; I'm going to keep attacking and hopefully make more putts."
Tom Marcelo, another lesser-known contender, was poised to take the first-round lead but was halted by a 45-minute lightning delay. He eventually finished with a 66, dropping him to joint third.
Marcelo, a 28-year-old rookie pro from Marikina, expressed his satisfaction with his round, considering the course's difficulty. He attributed his recent progress to strong performances in previous tournaments, including a tied 28th finish at Forest Hills and a 33rd place finish in Iloilo.
Other four-under scorers included Filipino hopefuls Aidric Chan, Fidel Concepcion, and homegrown talent Nelson Huerva. Chan, a recent Q-School success, started strong but struggled to maintain his form down the stretch, finishing with a 66.
Huerva's familiarity with the Bacolod layout, having played the course since childhood, proved advantageous in his early campaign. He attributed his four-under performance to his knowledge of the greens and the support of his caddie.
Meanwhile, Reymon Jaraula's roller-coaster round ended with three birdies and as many bogeys, placing him in a tie at 67 with Randy Garalde and Japan's Ozeki Kakeru.
Multi-titled veterans Tony Lascuña and Jhonnel Ababa joined the group of players finishing at 68, along with Ira Alido, Rupert Zaragosa, Rico Depilo, Ramil Bisera, and Forest Hills winner Keanu Jahns.
Zanieboy Gialon, last week's Iloilo Challenge champion, struggled with the tight fairways, driving out of bounds twice at No. 1. Despite a late bounce-back with two birdies, Gialon finished at 74, finding himself in a precarious 58th place, well below the projected cut.
0 Comments