YOUNG Josh Jorge blew a fiery start with a faltering finish but seized the spotlight just the same with a one-over 73 while Harmie Constantino took her familiar role as leader at the start of the stroke play elims of the Philippine Amateur Open Match Play Golf Championships at the Orchard’s Players course in Dasmariñas, Cavite yesterday.
Jorge, 15, came through with superb iron shots to set up a number of birdie chances, including three to close out his frontside stint with a 33. But the Grade 11 student from Taguig backed by Team Luisita floundered coming home, hobbling with a 40 marred by a triple-bogey on the par-5 12th.
Still, he showed up the crack field in the first round of the 36-hole elims of the annual event sponsored by MVP Sports Foundation and held as part of the PLDT Group National Amateur Golf Tour.
Carl Corpus, Don Padilla and defending champion Peter Tyler Po all carded 75s while Aniceto Mandanas shot a 76 and Luigi Guerrero and Aidric Chan came up with identical 77s as they gear up for low medal honors and try to built confidence heading to the match play phase tomorrow.
Constantino, runner-up here last year, birdied the last hole to save a 74 and post a four-stroke lead over Korean Kim Hui Won, who turned in a 78, as the other local bets struggled in hot condition and finished with soaring scores.
Sofia Legaspi and Rafaela Singson limped with 79s, Laia Barro and Mikha Fortuna skied to 80s and newly crown MVPSF Visayas Regional Match Play winner Angela Mangana groped for an 83 in a tie with Annika Guangko.
Korean Rho Hyun Ji turned in an 84 while young Laurea Duque made an 85 followed by Kim Seo Young, Kwon Taeyon and Kristine Fleetwood, who shot 89, 90 and 92, respectively.
Zach Castro, meanwhile, carded a 74 to pace the Special Division (12-years-old-and-below) in the event organized and conducted by the National Golf Association of the Philippines. Vince Tiamsic struggled with a 80 and Santino Pineda made an 87 while Mikhaela Constantino shot a 92 to lead Koreans Kwon Min Seo (93) and Jeong Yeaheun (96) in the girls’ side.
But focus will surely be on Jorge, who won in the Veritas World Junior Golf in California in 2015 and ruled the 13-18 division in last year’s Oakley Golf Cup at Sherwood. After a bogey on No. 2, he birdied the par-5 No. 4 the rattled off three straight birdies inside eight feet to close out the front nine.
But he stumbled with a bogey on the 10th and dropped three strokes on No. 12 before birdying Nos. 14 and 18 to offset a double-bogey on No. 16.