Salvador fires solid 68, leads by five

MANILA, Philippines - Elmer Salvador moved in the threshold of a breakthrough win on the ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour as he shot a solid four-under par 68 to surge ahead by five over Benjie Magada in the rain-delayed second round of the Sherwood Classic at the Sherwood Golf and Country Club in Trece Martires, Cavite yesterday.

Always a contender but never a winner on the revival of the pro tour, Salvador used a near-impeccable backside stint to put himself in the hunt for the P200,000 top purse in this 54-hole tournament serving as the fifth leg of the 10-stage ICTSI (International Container Terminal Services, Inc.)-sponsored circuit.

He birdied five of the last nine holes, including two straight from No. 16, to negate a bogey mishap on No. 14 where he flubbed a six-foot putt for par.

But with a closing 32 and a 68, Salvador found himself on top of the field again with a five-under 139 aggregate heading into the final round of the P1 million event.

Magada, who shared the first round lead with Orlan Sumcad and amateur Jhonnel Ababa, recovered from a woeful 39 at the front with two birdies in the last three holes for a 35 and a 74 although he slid to second at 144.

Sumcad fumbled with a 77 for a 147 for joint seventh and Ababa tumbled down in eighth with a 148 after a 78 as they struggled in the heavy rain in the afternoon, forcing the organizers to halt play for over an hour.

Christopher delos Santos, a consistent top 15 finisher in the first four legs of the circuit backed by MJCarr Golf Management, Pisanti, Srixon, FAMI, Business Mirror, Motorola, Omnisource, Nike Golf, Tiger Gatorade and Pepsico, turned in a one-under par 71 to be at 145 in the company of veteran Carito Villaroman and amateur Miko Alejandro.

Villaroman bucked a double bogey on the par-5 15th with back-to-back birdies from No. 16 to fire a 70 while Alejandro closed out with a 33 on four birdies against a bogey for a 70 to gain a share of third.