Elmer hangs on to 3-shot lead with 66

LIPA CITY, Batangas , Philippines  – Elmer Salvador sustained his awesome form and outduelled defending champion Angelo Que for the second straight day, firing a six-under 66 and keeping a three-stroke lead over Dutch Guido Van der Valk halfway through the Philippine Open at the Mt. Malarayat composite course here yesterday.

Salvador kept the momentum of his flawless nine-under 63 in the first round as he birdied four of the first seven holes, dropped a stroke on the No. 8 before hitting three more birdies at the back for that 66 and a 15-under 129 in what could go down as the lowest 36-hole output in Open history.

He bucked the challenge of Que, who dropped out of joint second with a 71 after a 66, and held Van der Valk at bay despite the latter’s second straight 66 in the absence of the wind for a 12-under 132.

“I just stayed focused and made some good putts,” said Salvador, enjoying a superb season that included two victories to emerge the top player on the ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour.

Frankie Miñoza flashed vintage form and turned in the day’s best score of seven-under 65, improving to joint eighth with Benjie Magada, who carded a 70, and Jerome Delariarte, who fired a 68, at 138, nine strokes adrift.

Van der Valk, one of the four foreigners in the P2.5 million event, presented by Stradcom, San Miguel Corp. and 2-Go/Super Ferry, also set his sights on the top P410,000 ($8,900) purse, stringing three straight birdies from No. 14 and finishing with seven against a missed-green bogey on No. 1.

As Que skidded to joint fourth with Artemio Murakami, Richard Sinfuego and Michael Bibat at 137, Tony Lascuña moved up to solo third with a four-under 68 but stood six shots off Salvador at 135 heading into the last 36 holes of the event sponsored by Pagcor and Jorgman Construction & Dev. Corp.

Que birdied two of the first four holes to match Salvador’s solid start but the British Open veteran stumbled with a double-bogey 7 on No. 5 to reel back and could only hit three more birdies against two bogeys for that 71.

Seventy-six players, including 10 amateurs, made the cut at 153 with all but one of the pre-tournament favorites advancing to the final two rounds of the 93rd staging of the annual event.

Juvic Pagunsan, who shot himself in the foot with a five-over 77 in the first round, arrived at the venue minutes before his 11:40 a.m. flight with Danny Zarate and Omar Dungca but failed to get it to the tee mound in time and was subsequently disqualified.

Lascuña used a superb round of 32 at the backside where he started, holing out with three straight birdies for a 32 although he slowed down in the last nine holes with an even par round.

Murakami came out of a rollercoaster round of four birdies against two bogeys at the back with a sizzling 33 for a 67 while Sinfuego birdied two of the last three holes for a 69.

But focus will be on Miñoza, whose fiery 65 put the most revered player in the fold in contention for a third RP Open crown after a so-so 73 in the opening day of the 72-hole championship.

“I just putted better,” said Miñoza, the 1998 and 2007 titlist.

Also teeing off at the back, Miñoza birdied No. 14 after a string of pars then eagled the par-5 18th with a superb 7-iron second shot that landed within four feet off the cup. He birdied No. 2 to go four-under then rattled off four straight birdies in stirring fashion.

But he settled for a 65 as he failed to rescue a par from the bunker on the last hole for a 138.

That was the same output put in by Delariarte, who also took advantage of the windless morning flight to shoot a 68, and Magada, who fired a 33 at the front for a 70.

Former champion Robert Pactolerin shot a second 70 for solo 11th at 140 while SEAG veteran Judson Eustaquio and Rufino Bayron led the race for low amateur honors with 142s after identical 72s. Other two-under par scorers were Canadian Rick Gibson, who had a 69, Cassius Casas, who made a 71, Marvin Dumandan, who fumbled with a 75, Danny Zarate, who rallied with a 67 and Ruben Sasutil, who made a 70.

Miguel Tabuena, the youngest participant at 15, shot a two-under 70 to join five others at 143, who included Mars Pucay, who had a 71, and Jay Bayron, who also turned in a 71.

The event is sponsored by Amalgamated Motors, Orient Pearl, Mega Data Corp, Pandrol Korea, MRT, Seokwang, Zest Air, Star Infrastructure, CATS Inc, AMA Computer College, Sunwest, Alecon, Herma Group, Northwest Airlines, DMCI, Cebu Pacific and 1st Tee and 10th Tee Energy Bars.