Filipino golfers settle for joint 3rd

SINGAPORE – Marvin Dumandan and Jay Bayron fought back from a disastrous stint in the second round and pooled a three-under par 139 but the Philippines fell short of its title-retention bid and settled for third place in the Singapore Open Amateur Championship here yesterday.

Dumandan, atoning for a disastrous 78 in the second round, recovered his putting touch to go two-under after nine holes but he failed to sustain that charge at the backside of the par-71 Singapore Island Country Club’s Bukit course and settled for a 69.

Bayron, who also fumbled with a 73 Wednesday, appeared headed for another woeful round but made one big run on his homeward trip with birdies in three of the last four holes for a one-under 70.

But that 139 failed to spark the Philippines’ final round charge in the 54-hole team competition as it wound up with a 425 for a share of third place with India (140), five behind New Zealand, which put on a sizzling round of 135, seven-under, to rally from fifth to first with a 420.

Sri Lanka snatched second place with a 423 after a 139 as two-day leader Singapore bombed out with a 148 and a 428 and tumbled down to sixth. Thailand, second at the start of the round, also limped home with a 141 and finished fifth with 426.

Bayron, meanwhile, emerged as the best-placed Filipino in the 72-hole individual competition as the spearhead of the eight-player RP team, sponsored by the International Container Terminal Services, Inc., assembled a 211 aggregate to remain five strokes behind Chiragh Kumar of India (70-206) heading into the final 18 holes of the tournament, which serves as part of the Filipinos’ buildup for the World Amateurs and the Asian Games.

Five of the eight members of the ICTSI squad, whose stint here is sanctioned by the National Golf Association of the Phils., made it to the final round with Michael Bibat, the 2004 champion, sharing 12th place with Dumandan with 214s and Gene Bondoc finally shooting a 2-under 69 to tie Anthony Fernando, carding a 74, at 26th place with 218s.

Failing to make the cut pegged at 219 were Miko Alejandro (76-227), Eugene Bunyi (76-230) and Dante Becierra (80-237).

Other Filipinos advancing to the final round of individual competition were Ferdinand Aunzo and former national champion Jun Bernis, who both had 216s after 69 and 71, respectively.