PAL Ladies Interclub S’woods seizes lead over Cebu

DAVAO, Philippines - – Manila Southwoods-Masters bucked a two-point penalty as it assembled 147 Molave points to grab a one-point lead over Cebu Country Club at the start of the PAL (Philippine Airlines) Ladies Interclub at the Rancho Palos Verdes Golf and Country Club here yesterday.

Teener Abegail Arevalo turned in 54 points, equivalent to even par in stroke play, while veteran campaigners Lora Roberto and Kat Gonzales added 51 and 44 points, respectively, as Southwoods-Masters launched its three-peat bid on a rather shaky start in sunny skies.

Claire Ong’s 41-point output was scratched in the four-to-play, three-to-count format event, which the Philippine Airlines revived in 2011 with Southwoods dominating the latest two editions.

“Our scores were within range but they have to play a lot better in the second round (today),” said Southwoods-Masters team captain Beachie Abiera, hoping to draw a better output from the same roster in today’s second round of the 72-hole championship held to complement with the longest-running PAL Men’s and Seniors Interclub and at the same time give the country’s golfing ladies a tournament of their own.

The Carmona-based squad actually put in a 149 total but two points were deducted from the total team score after it incurred a penalty when Gonzales opted to hole out despite a triple bogey.

Under tournament rules, a player who no longer has any chance to score a point on a hole must pick up and mark an X on the scorecard to speed up play.

“We have to abide by the rules. We’ll just have to make up for it,” said Abiera.

That enabled Cebu CC to close within just a point after its youth-laden squad scored a 146 with Louise Kaye Go upstaging Arevalo in a duel of 14-year-olds with a one-under card worth 55 points.

Junia Gabasa, 12, chipped in 48 points while Alyeska Yunam added 43. Ryoko Nagai didn’t count with a 32.

“LK played well and Junia got her numbers but Alyeska struggled a bit today (yesterday),” said CCC team captain Kim Hong.

Go, playing out of Center for International Education, actually missed churning out a better output with a bogey-bogey finish at the front after three-putting No. 8 and missing the ninth green. She hit two birdies against a bogey and a double-bogey at the back from where they teed off but fought back with four birdies in the first seven holes coming home.

Arevalo, a mainstay of Team ICTSI, also fumbled on the ninth with a bogey that marred an otherwise fiery windup of five birdies in the first seven holes at the front that negated a pair of double-bogey mishaps on Nos. 13 and 16.

Alabang, meanwhile, set in motion its bid to reclaim the Founders Division crown as it came away with a 130 for a 13-point lead over Southwoods-Legends, which had a 117, with Valley South in third at 113.

Apo I assembled a 136 as it opened its title-retention bid in the Sportswriters Division with a whopping 27-point lead over host Palos Verdes I, which pooled a 109, with Pueblo de Oro at distant third with 98 points.

Davao City shot a 116 to show the way in the Friendship Division, 12 points ahead of Valley North, which had a 104, while Alabang 2 struggled a 101 for third.

For details and updates, visit www.palladiesinterclub.com.

The event is backed by Airbus, San Miguel Brewery Inc., Purefoods, Magnolia Healthy Refreshments, Ginebra San Miguel, Magnolia Purewater, San Mig Coffee, Magnolia Ice Cream and San Mig Purefoods and supported by Merck Inc. Philippines and Diamond Hotel.