MANILA, Philippines – Lloyd Go took a step closer to a career breakthrough as he came away with a second straight 65 to wrest solo control after three rounds of the BNI Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament ADT 2022 in Tangerang, Indonesia Friday.
In a three-way tie with Thai Chonlatit Chuenboonngam and Paul San of Malaysia halfway through the $110,000 event of the Asian Development Tour, Go pressed his bid with three straight birdies to launch his drive at Gunung Geulis’ East course in the pivotal round. The 27-year-old Cebuano ace then bounced back from each stumble with a grit and poise of a seasoned campaigner to churn out a 32-33 card and move in the threshold of a first pro career victory with a stirring 19-under 197 aggregate.
He dropped Chuenboonngam to second despite a solid 65 card from last week’s Second Gunung Geulis Golf Invitational winner, who pooled a 199, with San slipping to solo third at 200 after a 68 highlighted by three straight closing birdies.
First day leader Clyde Mondilla, meanwhile, shot a 70 for joint 10 at 205 with Cory Crawford of Australia, who also fired a two-under card, but remained too far behin Go, who tied for ninth last week but now 18 holes away from nailing his first victory since turning pro in 2018.
After a three-birdie blitz, Go stumbled with a bogey on the fifth but recovered his bearing and closed out his frontside stint with back-to-back birdies. He sustained his run and birdied three of the first five holes at the back but dropped two strokes on the par-4 15th.
But that miscue hardly shook his confidence as the former national champion birdied the 16th and holed out with another birdie on the reachable par-5 18th, which he eagled in the second round.
Two-up and all pumped up, Go hopes to keep his nerves in check in the last 18 holes in anticipation of Chuenboonngam and San’s fightbacks, along with those in the hunt, including Kshitij Kaul and Sam Gillis, who matched 201s after a 66 and 68, respectively, and Oscar Zetterwall, who also shot a 65 to grab sixth place at 203.
Go has had cracks at a first pro crown, the last in the Philippine Golf Tour leg at Eagle Ridge last June, where he led in the second round and co-led in the third. But he wilted under pressure from his veteran rivals and eventually wound up joint ninth after a closing 76.
Over in Japan, Justin delos Santos slowed down with a 72 for a 141 as he survived the cut at joint 52nd in the Sansan KBC Augusta Golf Tournament paced by local ace Taiga Nagano and Korean Sang Hee Lee at the Keya Golf Club in Fukuoka Prefecture, also Friday.
But Juvic Pagunsan missed the weekend play of a Japan Golf Tour event for the second straight time as he skied to a 79 for joint 135th at 151.
Lee flourished with a solid 65 to tie Nagano, who carded a 67, at 133.