Japanese, Mamat take charge with 65s

CARMONA, Cavite – Japanese Daisuke Kataoka kept his good run of form on the local turf as he sizzled with a bogey-free seven-under 65 to tie Mardan Mamat at the helm even as Juvic Pagunsan lived up to the hype and shot a solid 67 at start of the $1 million Resorts World Manila Masters presented by 918.com at the Manila Southwoods’ Masters course here yesterday. 

The 26-year-old Kataoka bucked a late tee-off on No. 1 with a superb all-around game spiked by four birdies in the last eight holes and four scrambling pars for a 33-32 card that shoved him past a slew of fancied players and into a share of the lead with Mamat in windy condition.

“This is my first time to play here at Southwoods,” said Kataoka who used just 25 putts to put himself in early contention for the top $180,000 in the richest ever golf tournament in the country. “But I seem to score well in the Phl. I’ve played at Wack Wack and The Country Club and had top 10s there.”

Like Kataoka, Mamat also has had good results here, including a Philippine Open title romp at Wack Wack in 2012, and the veteran Singaporean campaigner set out for another title crack by hitting all but one green for a 32-33 card marred by a lone bogey mishap on No. 16.

“It’s not easy out there because it was windy today (yesterday). But I played solid and made some really nice putts,” said the 47-year-old Mamat of his best-ever round on the tough, wind-swept layout since firing a 67 during his amateur days more than two decades ago.

“I know this course is always tough because I used to train here when I was still an amateur,” said Mamat, who turned pro in 1994. “I hit 67 here when I was still an amateur, so this is my best effort so far.”

The duo took a one-stroke lead over reigning Asian Tour champion Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand, who outhit Pagunsan by one birdie in their closing stint at the front for a 66 after firing identical 32s at the back in a featured flight that also included former Asian Tour OOM winner Jeev Milkha Singh of India, who groped for form with a 76.

Malaysian Danny Chia birdied the first three holes at the back to wrest the early lead but got slowed down by a bogey on No. 6 and settled for joint third with Aphibarnrat.

The long-hitting Aphibarnrat, also playing at Southwoods for the first time, took full advantage of his length and eagled the par-5 18th to match Pagunsan’s opening four-under card. The 25-year-old Aphibarnrat then birdied Nos. 2 and 4 to likewise put himself into a strong position to win his third Asian Tour victory.

“My ball striking was really good. It’s my first pro tournament in the Philippines and it has been good so far. It is near Thailand and I always feel at home whenever I travel to countries in Asia. It’s good to be back as I haven’t been here since my amateur days,” said Aphibarnrat, who for a while had thought of skipping the event offering $180,000 to the winner.