Dumandan faces Bernis; ex-champ vs jungolfer

Marvin Dumandan whipped two rivals in varying fashions in a day’s work at Villamor yesterday to arrange a semifinal duel with DHL Amateur Open champion Jun Bernis even as Artemio Murakami stayed in the hunt for a second crown in five years with a couple of equally impressive victories in the second day of the match play event of the Philippine Amateur Golf Championship.

Not even Jan Tambogon’s familiarity with the flat but long and challenging layout could spur the 16-year-old to pull off a king-size upset over the most fancied player in fold as Dumandan simply stamped his class and went on to fashion out a 3 & 2 victory in the featured morning duel.

The Riviera bet then took on Jay Bayron of Canlubang in the afternoon match, encountered stiff resistance in the early going but pulled through just the same with a steady game in the closing holes for a 2-up victory that lined up the 24-year-old Dumandan against another Cangolf bet — Bernis.

Bayron, a former winner of the Samsung Tour, advanced to the quarters by thumping Michael Bibat, 4 & 2.

The soft-spoken Bernis, raring to come up with a follow-up victory to his DHL Open caper at his home course in Canlubang early this year, wore down Tonlit Asistio, 2 & 1, in the last 16, the same score he posted in ousting Tristan Tabanas of Del Monte in the quarterfinal round of the event staged by the National Golf Association of the Philippines.

Experts say this year’s winner could come from the Dumandan-Bernis semis matchup although the portly Murakami will be going flat out to nail another victory after a record-setting win at Wack Wack five years ago.

Murakami, the Southwoods bet who became the youngest RP Amateur winner at 15 in 1999, put on an amazing display of shotmaking in the morning for an easy 6 & 5 rout of Cris delos Santos, then booted out Greg Laguatan in the quarters with a 3 & 2 victory.

He is heavily favored to prevail over jungolfer Laurence Negrido, 16, in the semis with the latter nipping Boyet Saragoza in the last 16 via a 1-up victory after 19 holes and then upending Lanang bet and veteran campaigner Louie Dacudao, 2 & 1, in the afternoon.

After a grueling day Friday, the surviving semifinalists will have a light day today with the winners bracing for another tough day tomorrow, a marathon 36-hole finale.