Home pro wrests lead in the wind

LIPA CITY, Philippines – Long-hitting Orlan Sumcad leaned on his superb shotmaking and familiarity with the course to tame the wind and the star-studded field, posting a one-stroke lead over Marlon Dizon with a three-under 69 at the start of the ICTSI Classic at the Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country Club here yesterday.

The 37-year-old Sumcad, a Bacolod City native who relocated to Malarayat 15 years ago, made a blistering birdie-birdie-eagle binge from No. 7 to wrest control with a 33 but missed doubling his edge over Dizon with a bogey on the 18th.

“I hit the bunker on the 18th and failed to save par,” said Sumcad, a consistent Top 10 placer but never a winner on the ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour, in Filipino.

Still, Sumcad’s 33-36 card was enough to propel him to the top of an elite field, majority of whom got knocked off by the dreaded Malarayat wind that bedeviled the games of even those who teed off early in the day.

That included Juvic Pagunsan, who teed off first but nearly found himself at the bottom of the 100-player field with an awful 11-over 83 in perhaps his worst start in any tournament.

Dizon, who has limited himself to playing a maximum of five tournaments a year to focus on his family’s engineering business, surprised everybody, including himself, when he drained an eagle in his final hole on the par-5 No. 9 to shoot a 70 for solo second.

“My goal going into this tournament is to just come out with an even par performance,” said Dizon.

Teenage pro Miguel Tabuena turned an impending fold-up into a big surge as he birdied two of the last three holes at the front to be in the mix of players chasing the top P200,000 purse in the 54-hole tournament sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

Tony Lascuña, Elmer Saban, Erwin Vinluan, Arnold Villacencio and amateur Zanie Boy Gialon all had one-under par cards while Frankie Miñoza, taking time off the US Seniors Tour, and Angelo Que, the back-to-back The Country Club Invitational champion, matched par 72s for a share of ninth, three strokes off the pace.

Other even par scorers wer Jun Bernis, brand-new pro Dante Becierra, Omar Dungca, Gerald Rosales, Rufino Bayron and Jobim Carlos, winner of the low amateur honors at ICTSI Royal Northwoods Championship last week.

Artemio Murakami, the reigning Philippine Open champion, and Marvin Dumandan, two of the players tipped to contend for this week’s crown, hobbled with a pair of 73s to fall into a tie with Richard Sinfuego, Juanito Pagunsan, Peter Villaber, Jhonnel Ababa, Danny Zarate and Cookie La’O.

Dutch Guido Van der Valk, who finished second to Elmer Salvador in the all-peso Phl Open here in 2009, also struggled with a 75 in a tie with Cass Park, a Lipa-based Korean who aced No. 2, one shot behind the group Cassius Casas, Ramil Bisera, Ebarra Quiachon, Erwin Arcillas and Ernie Rellon, who all had 74s.

The 33-year-old Saban, who finished joint second with Ferdie Aunzo in Apo ruled by Juvic Pagunsan last year, ran into several mishaps in the early going but fought back with an eagle on the ninth and birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 to salvage a 71.

Tabuena, 16, actually shared the clubhouse lead with 71 although he had to give way to the surging Sumcad at the end of a challenging day at the composite 27-hole layout.

“I’m more excited to play as a pro, that’s the reason I’m more motivated now,” said Tabuena, out to make up for a not-so-impressive performance in the Montecillo Cup here last month, in his final tournament as an amateur.

Jay Bayron, winner of the Order of Merit crown in the circuit, backed by by MJ Carr Golf Management, Inc., Srixon, Callaway and Dynamic Sports, also struggled in windy condition but pointed the blame on no one but himself for his 78.

“The condition was bad but my shotmaking was worse,” said the 31-year-old Bayron in Filipino. “I just hope to play better tomorrow (today), maybe get me back into contention in the last rounds.”