Chan-Alido wrests control with solid 62

MANILA, Philippines – Aidric Chan and Ira Alido put on a fiery birdie-eagle windup to fire a bogey-free 62 and seize a one-stroke lead over Ryan Monsalve and Lanz Uy at the start of the fifth National Doubles Amateur Golf Championship at Camp Aguinaldo Golf Club in QC yesterday.

The Chan-Alido tandem actually battled back from two strokes down off Monsalve and Uy at the back and grabbed the lead by birdying the par-3 17th and closing out with an eagle under the four-ball (best ball) format.

Tied with the Chan-Alido and Jobim Carlos-Inigo Raymundo pairs with 32s after nine holes, Monsalve and Uy birdied the first two holes at the back but stumbled with a bogey on the 17th and needed to birdie the 18th to card a 63 and stay in early contention in the National Golf Association of the Philippines’ final event for the season held under the PLDT Group National Amateur Golf Tour and sponsored by the MVP Sports Foundation, Smart, PLDT and Metro Pacific Investment Corp.

Carlos, who ruled the inaugural staging of this event conducted and organized by the NGAP at the AFP Golf Club in 2011 with Raymundo Gonzales, and Inigo Raymundo flubbed a birdie putt on the 18th and settled for a 64 while Jama Reyes and Tom Kim put in a 65 to remain in the hunt in the event hosted by the CAGC.

Tommy Manotoc and son Gabriel combined for a 66 for sixth, Raymart Tolentino and Carlo Villaroman shot a 67 in a tie with Matthew Abalos and Don Petil while defending champion Rupert Zaragosa and new partner Joey Magcalayo gunned down six birdies but fumbled with the same number of bogeys, including on Nos. 1 and 18 as they dropped to joint ninth at 68 with Jolo Magcalayo and former pro Eddie Bagtas in the centerpiece Group I category.

Meanwhile, Jun Bautista and Inigo Bilbao assembled a 69 to share the Group II lead with Tony Olives and Rene Unson with the Jeff Razon-Chester Calpotura and Vic Se-Raffy Sempio tandems carding 73 and 74, respectively.

Marvi Monsalve and Dania Uy combined for a 66 to take the early lead in Group III with Kristine Torralba and Ashia Nocum pooling a 74 and three other pairs still to complete play at presstime.

Play shifts to aggregate format today with the final round to be played under the two-ball foursome of alternate shot format.

Chan and Alido hit three birdies at the front of the short but challenging layout while Monsalve and Uy matched that feat with three straight birdies from No. 4 and Carlos and Raymundo joined them at the helm with a birdie on the ninth.

Monsalve and Uy threatened to pull away with a strong start at the back but after a slew of regulation pars marred by two flubbed birdie putts, they fumbled on the 17th, enabling Chan and Alido to surge ahead.