Together with the 42s of Art Empamano and Boy Ramos, Ben Trinidad’s 37 and the 36 of Roger Fillarca, the Cagayan de Oro team carded 207 for a five-shot lead over Iloilo and six ahead of host Club Filipino.
Leyte Golf and Country Club came up with 206 on John Uy’s 45 points, Tony Tankaw’s 42 , Lau Rogero’s 41, the 40 of Pete Cantillas to pace the Friendship Division over Camp Evangelista by four points. Joel Buot had a 38.
Go’s 50 points enabled him to post a two-point lead in the race for the 18-hole individual event.
Ed Franco of Club Filipino and Heritage’s Balti Baltazar came up with 48 apiece to share second place, followed by Fort Bonifacio’s Ric Alindayu 47 and Ed de Leon of Club Filipino and Cotabato’s Ed Rabago with 46 each.
Meanwhile, Luisita Golf and Country Club opens its bid for a second straight and ninth Championship Division crown in 14 years minus one of its top guns.
Carlo Gamban, who played a key role in dethroning still top rival Wack Wack Golf and Country Club last year, is not playing due to an eye infection.
Hosting the premier division’s opening round of the 36-hole event is the short but challenging Cebu Country Club’s par 72, 6,233-yard course from the seniors’ tees.
Also starting today is the first round in the Founders’ Division at Club Filipino.
Wack Wack also suffered manpower loss when two of its mainstays — Wack Wack president Ben Abalos and Jose "Tetu" Santos — skipped the tournament.
Those last-minute developments benefited host Cebu Country Club, which will play with an intact lineup and the home-course advantage, and the Riviera Golf and Country Club, which will also play in full force.
With Gamban out, Luisita team captain Joey Romasanta would now rely on Richie Garcia, Alex Montelibano, Alan Gaston, Tony Garcia, Marcelo Alfonso, Lucio Yan and Cesar Muñoz.