Dimayuga wavers but fights back; Corpus makes move

MANILA, Philippines – Enrique Dimayuga squandered a two-stroke lead with an error-filled frontside 41 but fought back with a three-birdie binge from No. 12 to salvage a 74, staying in the hunt for a second straight championship in Singapore at the Southeast Asian Amateur Golf Team Championship at the Seletar Country Club Thursday.

Despite slipping to joint second with Vietnam’s Nguyen Anh Minh at 210, the Filipino-British is confident about his title chances given his strong comeback following an uncharacteristic start in this pivotal round of the four-day championship.

Local ace Ryan Ang vaulted into the lead with a 68, spiked by an equally fiery windup of three birdies in the last five holes, netting him a three-day haul of 209 for a one-stroke lead over Dimayuga and Minh. This sets the stage for a frenetic 18-hole battle of shotmaking, wits and nerves for the coveted individual crown in what has long been known as the Putra Cup.

Carl Corpus also put himself in the mix with a tournament-best 66, highlighted by a rare two-eagle feat, pushing him from out of nowhere to solo fourth at 211, just two shots off Ang.

His six-under output was a 10-stroke improvement from his second round of 76. Corpus eagled the par-4 No. 1 and gained two strokes on the par-5 No. 4. With a birdie on the second hole, the many-time national team mainstay went five-under in just four holes.

He birdied the seventh but bogeyed two of the next four holes to get stalled. But Corpus shot three birdies against another bogey from No. 12, then parred the rest for a 31-35, giving him a clear shot at the hotly-disputed championship.

Jet Hernandez stood at joint seventh at 215 after a 73, while Shinichi Suzuki hardly improved from a 76 with a 74 for a share of 23rd at 227.

The Philippines, made up of Dimayuga, Corpus, and Hernandez, all but wrapped up the team crown in the premier Putra Cup division with a 636 aggregate after a 213, eight strokes clear of Vietnam, which amassed a 644 after a 215, while Thailand faltered with a 219 for a 651.

After back-to-back 68s coming off an imposing victory in the Singapore Open Amateur last week, Dimayuga struggled with his shots and putting, conceding strokes on Nos. 1, 4, 5, 7, and 9 with no birdies to show. However, he showed resilience, recovering big with birdies from No. 12 to fight back into strong contention.

In other divisions, the Filipino campaigners floundered as Rafael Leonio skied to an 83 and fell to No. 15 with a 238 in the Lion City Cup paced by Singapore’s Brayden Lee, who assembled a 215 after a 73.

Malaysia’s Joshua Lim, however, also carded a one-over card to stalk Lee at 216, while Vietnam’s Ho Anh Huy matched par 72 but stood four strokes off the leader with 219. Tristan Padilla limped with an 82 for a 239, while Miko Granada shot a 77 for a 242.

In Santi Cup, Grace Quintanilla, who placed third in the Singapore Open, fumbled with a 75 for a 220 and fell behind by five to local bet Aloysa Atienza, who pooled a 215 after a 72 for a three-shot lead over Thais Achiraya Sriwong and Pimpisa Rubrong, who matched 218s after 73 and 76, respectively. Junia Gabasa lay too far behind with 277 after a 77, while Sam Dizon turned in a 74 for a 228.