Cheon surges ahead with 69

MANILA, Philippines — South Korea’s Ji Sung Cheon delivered a strong opening round in the Philippine Golf Tour Qualifying School, carding a 69 to seize the lead despite a late stumble at the challenging Splendido Taal Golf Club in Laurel, Batangas yesterday.

Ivan Monsalve rebounded from a shaky front-nine 38 with a brilliant five-birdie surge starting from the 10th hole, finishing with a 70 to trail Cheon by just one. Meanwhile, Carl Corpus overcame a late-round struggle to salvage a 71, joining Jaehyun Jung and Atsushi Ueda in a tie for third in the early stages of the 72-hole eliminations organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

Cheon, 19, capitalized on an early tee time to navigate the course before the afternoon heat and wind intensified, allowing him to outperform a slew of rivals in the 112-player field vying for coveted spots in this year’s ICTSI-sponsored premier circuit, slated to kick off next week at Pradera Verde in Pampanga.

Making his debut in the local tour qualifier, Cheon dominated the challenging up-and-down layout with birdies on holes 1, 6, 7, 12 and 13.