Backside romp puts Dutchman in front

TARLAC, Philippines — Guido Van der Valk took charge with a scorching backside assault, closing out with a 31 for a seven-under 65 and a one-stroke lead over a faltering Finn Teemu Putkonen midway through the ICTSI Luisita Championship at the Luisita Golf and Country Club here yesterday.

A birdie on the par-5 ninth actually sparked the Manila-based Dutchman’s charge as he made it three straight then drilled in three more birdies in the last four holes to storm ahead at seven-under 137 heading to the final two rounds in the $100,000 event kicking off the third season of the Philippine Golf Tour Asia.

“Overall, my game was near-perfect. (I) played pretty well sans the wind although the pin placements were difficult,” said Van der Valk, who missed just two fairways and one green while spiking his 34-31 card with 28 putts.

That put the 39-year-old shotmaker from Lelystad, the Netherlands closer to duplicating his breakthrough win in the first leg of the 2018 PGT circuit at Eagle Ridge that ended years of near-misses in the local circuit put up by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

Aiming to just put himself back into contention after a so-so 72 Monday, Van der Valk birdied two of the first five holes, stumbled with a bogey on the next but got going again with that birdie from short range on the ninth.

First round leader Thai Namchok Tantipokhakul slowed down with a 71 after a 67 and slipped to joint second at 138 with Putkonen, who turned in a 68, while Jay Bayron hit a late birdie to card a 70 and stood another shot back at 139 with Thai Kammalas Namuangruk, who made a 69.

Putkonen actually surged ahead at eight-under overall on a four-birdie splurge in the first five holes in his closing frontside stint but double-bogeyed the par-3 sixth and dropped to joint second instead.

Japanese Keita Sudo earlier carded a second straight 70 while Choo Tze Huang of Singapore shot a 71 for joint sixth at 140 with Natthapong Niyomchon (71) while Juvic Pagunsan made his move with a bogey-free 69 to wrest solo ninth at 141, just four strokes behind.