Bayron 5 shots off pace after 69

MANILA, Philippines - Jay Bayron fired a three-under 69 to join eight others in 10th place, five strokes behind Scot James Byrne at the start of the Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament of the Asian Development Tour at the Damai indah Golf BSD Course in Jakarta yesterday.

Bayron, chasing a record-tying four ADT victory in the $100,000 event, birdied three of the first eight holes but slowed down with two bogeys against two more birdies in the last 10 to drop to the big group of three-under par scorers, who included Singapore’s Reagan Png, Indonesian Jan Andrew, Malaysian Airil Zahari, Ireland’s Niall Turner, American James Bowen, Thais Annop Tangkamolprasert, Sattaya Supupramai and Suppakorn Uthaipat.

Michael Bibat gunned down four birdies against two bogeys for a 70 in joint 19th but fellow Filipinos Carl Santos-Ocampo and Rufino Bayron fumbled with 73 and 74, respectively.

Byrne came through with four back-to-back birdies from Nos. 1, 4, 7 and 13 then closed out with bogey-birdie stint to turn in a 64, seizing a three-shot lead over Korean Victor Lee and Thai Poosit Supupramai, who shot identical 67s.

Lee sizzled with six birdies in the first 10 holes but reeled back with bogeys on Nos. 14 and 16 and needed to birdie the par-5 18th to shoot a 67, matched later by Poosit Supupramai, who turned in a bogey-free 34-33 card.