Tanchuan-Ocampo paces Founders Cup

MANILA, Philippines - With the fickle weather posing a bigger challenge than anything else, Jerry Tanchuan and Nilo Ocampo came through with 87 points to emerge as the team to beat after the first half of action in the 18th Founders Cup Invitational golf member-guest tournament of the Orchard Golf and Country Club in Dasmariñas, Cavite.

Playing in Group D, Tanchuan carded 40 while Ocampo made 47 at the Palmer course to show up the 400-team field seeing action in the 36-hole tourney backed by Mizuno, BDO-VISA, Petron Corp., MOET-Hennessy APP (Glen Morangie Single Malt Scotch Whisky), Sta. Lucia Realty, CATS Motors (Mercedes-Benz) and Mazda – Ford (Cavite) as major hole sponsors.

Oscar Patricio and Bobby Chico, overall winners two years ago, also charged into contention with an 84 in their first round at the Palmer course at a time when the weather was perfectly fine to show the way in Group A by three over Koreans Oh Jie-sik and Lee Tong-hwa.

Intermittent rains the past two days have made conditions even more difficult at both courses, leaving the classy Mercedes-Benz C200 Avantgarde and the Mazda CX-5 Pro SkyActive at stake as hole-in-one prizes untouched going into the weekend play of the event that has Asiana Airlines, Gran Toro Oro Trading Corp., Orchard Property Marketing Corp., Security Bank, The Turf Company and U-Freight Philippines, Inc as premium hole sponsors.

Las Pinas Vice Mayor Luis Bustamante and Camilo Pada moved in front of the Group B cast with their 82 while Wilfredo Roldan and Rizaldo Roxas pulled away from their Group C rivals with an 81.  

Bustamant-Pada heads into the weekend with just a one-point lead over Ed Mangahis and Vicente Marquez. The tandem of Roldan-Roxas carries a seven-point advantage over Bien Gaddi and Gimo Asuncion.

Whether the Benz or Mazda cars are won or not on the course, several individuals will find themselves winning the Mazda 3 SkyActive, Ford Eco Sport or Mercedes-Benz A200 in today’s grand raffle capping the tournament.