Fiery starts send Chan, Rahman up by 3

MANILA, Philippines - American Chan Kim and Bangladeshi star Siddikur Rahman opened with burst of birdies and seethed all day like the long hot summer, carding six-under par 66s to lead by three in the ICTSI Philippine Open at Wack Wack East course yesterday.

Chan, who missed the cut last year, birdied four of his five holes at the back while Rahman gunned down three birdies in his first four holes on both nines and had nine birdies in all to pace the field in the $300,000 event.

Chan had a very hot start at the back nine with four birdies in the first five holes. After a bogey on No. 16 he hit another birdie on the 17th.

“I started off really well. And when you are playing that well, it gives you the momentum to carry one,” said the 24-year-old Chan, who is based in Arizona.

He is hoping for the best this time because when he played the same course during the 2013 Solaire Open, he missed the cut.

Unheralded Rolando Marabe surprised everyone when he emerged the top-placed Filipino after the opening round with a 69 and a tie with Thailand’s Chawalit Plaphol.

Chan, who hits the ball longer than most of his peers, said he learned his lessons from last year. His two other birdies came on the third and seventh holes.

“I figured out that I should be hitting it straighter rather than longer. You have to keep your ball on the fairway,” said Chan, still seeking his first big win in four years as a pro.

In contrast, the 27-year-old Rahman has been there and done that.

Rahman is a two-time winner in the Asian Tour (2010 Brunei Open and 2013 Indian Open). He knows how to handle pressure of trying to sink a putt for a win.

“I’m very happy because my putting touch is back. It feels good to be putting good again. Today I sank about 80 percent of my putts,” he said.

Rahman teed off under the scorching sun at 12:05 p.m. and birdied three of his first four holes. He had six more birdies along the way but slowed down with bogeys on Nos. 5, 8 and 16.

Chan and Rahman will be looking over their shoulders when they play the second round where the field will be pruned down to half or around the top 60 and ties.

Marabe, a hard-working teaching pro at Villamor, was so happy with his score. He said it’s the first time he broke par at Wack Wack’s fabled layout.

“I’ve played here many times and this is my best score. It has been a long time since I turned professional (1997). But I haven’t won an event yet,” said Marabe.

He will need nerves of steel if he wants to win in the event sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. and presented by the MVP Sports Foundation and PLDT.

Tied for fifth at two-under 70 were South Korea’s Park Byung-joo, Vietnam’s Michael Tran, Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng and Settee Prakongvech, and Australia’s Marcus Both.

Rufino Bayron was with nine others in 10th place with a 71, including fellow Filipinos Jay Bayron, his elder brother, amateur sensation Rupert Saragoza and Angelo Que, the 2008 Philippine Open champion.

For a while Que had something going when he went three-under after nine holes. But things turned sour on the back nine – with bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11 and a double-bogey on No. 12.

Que saved his day with birdies on the 13th and 15th.

The great Frankie Miñoza was even after the opening round and did better than Antonio Lascuña (74) and Miguel Tabuena (75).

Lascuña has never missed a cut on the Asian Tour this year but didn’t look like the same player when he went four-over after nine holes on a string of bogeys starting on No. 5.

Lascuña pressed himself hard to earn birdies on the 17th and 18th. Tabuena had four bogeys against a lone birdie and went home with many things on his mind.