Nakajima clings to lead in windy day in PGT Q-School golf tilt

TAGAYTAY – Toru Nakajima misfired coming home and barely clung to a one-stroke lead over Hyun Ho Rho with a 73 as majority of the rest also cracked with over-par scores in a punishing day in the Philippine Golf Tour Q-School at Splendido Taal here Thursday.

The wind howled at the onset of the third round and kept pounding the course and the field throughout, sending the scores soaring and Nakajima’s erstwhile pursuers tumbling. The scrappy Japanese did feel the warmth of the clubhouse at the finish but not its comfort as he hardly hung onto the lead with a 216 aggregate.

He actually survived the test with a three-birdie, three-bogey frontside stint and came through with a brave run of pars at the back. But he failed to get up and down on the treacherous par-3 17th and wound up with a 36-37.

Hyun also bogeyed the penultimate hole and missed catching the 2013 PGT Wack Wack leg winner at the helm. But the Korean ace now based at Mount Malarayat threatened to within one with a 217, setting the stage for a shootout for top honors in the final round of the elims, which offers 35 cards for this year’s PGT.

Make it a three-way battle as Gen Nagai put himself in strong contention for medal honors, also with a 72 for a 218. The Cebu-based Japanese, a former Philippine Junior Amateur champion, actually appeared headed to grabbing the third day honors with four straight birdies from No. 9 for a running two-under card.

But he came in ruffled by the winds like the rest, bogeying Nos. 14 and 18 and enabling Nakajima, who also placed second to Angelo Que at Anvaya Cove in 2017, to stay ahead of the surviving 51-player field heading to the final 18 holes of the qualifier organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

Nilo Salahog, in a five-way tie for second with first day leader U Minn Woon and amateurs Gab Manotoc and Russell Bautista, and Hyun after 36 holes, also wobbled at the finish with bogeys on Nos. 15 and 18 and fell to fifth at 221 after a 76, while Bautista crumbled when the going got tougher and skied to a 77 marred by a double bogey on the par-4 No. 1 for a 222 in a tie with Hong Kong’s Michael Wong.

The 25-year-old Wong barely made it to his tee-time but withstood the pressure and the elements at Splendido, hitting two birdies against a bogey at the front. He, however, bogeyed three of the last seven holes and finished with a 74, six strokes behind Nakajima.
Ferdie Aunzo shot one of the day’s two best 71s to move to joint seventh at 223 with Woon, who continued to falter with a 78 after a 69 and 76.

Elmer Salvador also failed to sustain an impressive 69 Wednesday and limped with a 75 marred by four bogeys in the first 12 holes before the veteran Davaoeno, the first PGT Order of Merit winner in 2009, birdied the difficult 13th to save a three-over round and a 224 aggregate.

Manotoc likewise failed to recover from an early struggle marred by three straight bogeys from No. 2 and a double-bogey on the eighth, making five more bogeys at the back against two birdies. He wound up with an 80 after a 74 and 71 and slipped to 10th at 225.

Also closing in on PGT cards are amateurs Jonas Magcalayo (79-229) for tied 17th with Henry Bolano (78) and Kristoffer Arevalo (78-230), who shared 19th place with veteran Robert Pactolerin (78).

The battle for the last berth(s) is likewise headed to a wild finish with Korean Lee Hwan (77), Miko Pactolerin (78), GJ Katigbak (79), Jelbert Gamolo (80) and Elee Bisera (82) all tied at 32nd with 235s and Korea Kim Min Seong (77) and Ivan Monsalve (83) just behind at 236s. Four others pooled 237 and two more assembled 239s.

Unheralded Bonifacio Salahog turned in the other one-under par card as he improved to a share of 11th at 226 with Japanese Atsushi Ueda, who carded a gutsy 73.