Korean sets pace with 66

MANILA, Philippines - Riviera’s Wang Jeung Hun outshot Asian Games silver medalist Miguel Tabuena in an early clash of the fancied bets, firing a bogey-free 66 and posting a one-stroke lead over Zanieboy Gialon at the start of the WWWExpress-DHL National Golf Championships at Canlubang’s north course in Laguna yesterday.

Wang, out to redeem himself from last year’s final round infraction that cost him the championship here, hit two birdies at the front then drained four more at the back, including back-to-back from No. 16, for a 34-32 card on a nearly wind-less but hot and humid day.

That put the 16-year-old Wang on top of a strong field that includes the country’s leading amateurs and a number of international players.

Gialon, one of the most promising players from the ICTSI-The Country Club squad, turned in the most impressive start of three straight birdies, added another one on No. 9 then knocked down two more birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 to negate a missed-green bogey mishap on No. 15. He had a 32 and 35.

Cho Dae Hyung, Wang’s teammate at Riviera, launched his title bid at the backside of the par-72 layout, gunning down three birdies against a bogey then matched Gialon’s three-birdie feat from No. 1 against another bogey on No. 5 for a 68, two shots off his fellow South Korean.

Tabuena, tipped as one of the players to beat in the four-day championship sponsored by WWWExpress and DHL, birdied the opening hole but had a rollercoaster round after dropping a shot on No. 5. He made a double-bogey on the par-3 No. 6, hit birdies on Nos. 11, 14 and 15 but reeled back with back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 14 and 15. He wound up with a 73 and fell to joint 13th with six others.

Earlier, WWWExpress and DHL chair Rod Feliciano; Joe Feliciano, president of WWWExpress, Cangolf chief Luigi Yulo and DHL officials Duncan Gates, Anthony Latham and Gerric Martinez, hit the ceremonial drive to kick off the 16th staging of the event organized and conducted by the National Golf Association of the Phils and hosted by Cangolf.

Meanwhile, Korea, bannered by the Riviera group of Wang, Hwang Kang Youl and Yeom Seo Hyun, paced the third RVF Cup or the 54-hole team championship, pooling a 138 for a six-shot lead over the Phl’s Tabuena, Balasabas and Jobim Carlos, who assembled a 144. Singapore groped for form with a 149 total.

Unheralded Aristeo Mata, playing out of Aguinaldo, bucked a double-bogey mishap on No. 4 and finished with a 35-35 round, highlighted by three straight birdies from No. 14 to put himself in early contention with a 70 in a tie with top ICTSI-TCC bet Dante Becierra.

The former Hong Kong Open Am champion, out to check a long skid, mixed three birdies with one bogey at the front then parred the rest of the holes for a 34-36 while four players churned out 71 scores, including reigning national champion Clyde Mondilla.

Other one-under par scorers were Dino Villanueva, Korean Jung Han Min and last year’s runner-up Jerson Balasabas while Art Arbole. Yeom Seo Hyun and Yemo Ka Hyun matched par 72s.

Joining Tabuena in the 73 group were Carl Ocampo, Park Gyu-ha, Hwang, Agustin Mata, Dave Hernandez and Singapore’s Gregory Foo.