Zarate seizes control with bogeyless 66

ANTIPOLO — Danny Zarate, a talented often overshadowed shotmaker whose Top 10 finish two weeks ago at Sherwood boosted his confidence shaken by mediocre campaigns on the Asian PGA Tour, shot a bogey-free five-under par 66 yesterday to show the way at the start of the CAP-Forest Hills Classic at the Forest Hills Golf Club here.

Five birdies and three scrambling pars highlighted the 33-33 round of the dusky Riviera pro, a World Cup veteran who last won in the 1998 President’s Cup at Wack Wack but who has had a series of so-so performances, barely keeping his APGA card with a 60th place finish last season.

But after that joint sixth place effort at Sherwood won by Tony Lascuña, Zarate, who skipped the first two legs of the revival of the Philippine golf tour to campaign in the APGA Tour, seemed to have regained his confidence and he showed it by leading the siege of the fancied bets on this up-and-down, par-71 layout, which practically lay defenseless in the absence of the winds with 14 pros breaking par and four others matching it.

Zarate quickly left the clubhouse as soon as he signed his scorecard, which nevertheless revealed the brilliance in the man. His tap-in birdie on the par 5 No. 10, where he teed off in the shotgun style pro-am event, set in motion his bid for top honors in this P700,000 event sponsored by College Assurance Plan.

But he has a slew of pursuers breathing down his neck and out to spoil his bid, and that includes the fancied Cassius Casas and Gerald Rosales, who both turned in 68s despite having to overcome pressure in varying fashion with the former enduring a personal grudge with the local golf body and the latter bucking a wrist injury that forced him to withdraw in the Sherwood Classic.

Two less fancied players, however, moved in front of them and within a stroke of Zarate as Al Cruz, the former Uratex caddies champion, and Ruben Sasutil, trying to join buddies Rey Pagunsan, Richard Sinfuego and Lascuña in the circle of winners in this circuit, both shot 67s that for a while stood the day’s best until Zarate came in with that five-under par card.

"Pa-regulation-regulation ka lang dapat sa course na ito, at yung birdies dadating na lang yan," said Sasutil, who gunned down six birdies in a 32-35 round marred by two missed green bogeys.

Cruz, who could only post a victory in a 10-year pro career in Apo, leaned on his explosive windup, a birdie-birdie-birdie finish on No. 2 to find himself in the company of the big guns vying for the top P100,000 purse.

Casas dropped a stroke on his closing hole on No. 10 when he hooked his drive into an unplayable lie, took a drop and reached the green in 4 before two-putting for bogey, missing joining the company of Cruz and Sasutil but finding himself in the revered group of three-under par scorers. This included Rosales, Lascuña and former RP Open champion and many-time Masters titlist Robert Pactolerin.

"Hindi pa naman sumasakit kaya laro lang tayo," said Rosales of his injury he sustained during the Wills Indian Open last month. The reed-thin ace shotmaker, ignoring his doctor’s advice to rest and bracing for the Kirin Open two weeks from now, indeed showed he’s on top form despite a long layoff as he came up with an eagle-birdie finish on No. 11 for that 68.

"I haven’t had a practice on this course and I played a rather conservative game since I couldn’t force it," said Rosales, pointing to his right wrist injury.

Ernie Rellon and Rey Alit stood at 69 while Sinfuego led the 70 scorers, who included Peter Miñoza, Roger Antonio, Elmer Salvador and Paolo San Gabriel.

Rodrigo Cuello, who dislodged Casas in the Kirin Open cast, had a 74.