Laurel, Batangas—Siblings Daniella and Lanz blazed home with three straight birdies and stormed past overnight leaders Rey Pagunsan and Aidric Chan with a 69 for a two-stroke lead after two rounds of the Delimondo National Pro-Am at Taal Splendido Golf Club here yesterday.
The Uys bucked a bogey start on No. 7 with a stirring four-birdie binge linking both nines then rebounded from a double-bogey and two-bogey mishaps in a six-hole stretch from No. 13 with four birdies in their last five holes, including three in row from No. 4 that shoved them past Pagunsan and Chan at 141.
“We played good overall, our short game and putting clicked,” said Daniella, the former Junior World champion and now a sophomore on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.
In contrast, the veteran Pagunsan and reigning national junior champion Chan wobbled in their closing holes at the back, dropping three straight strokes from No. 12, marred by two three-putt miscues, although they put some semblance of a fightback with a final hole birdie on No. 15.
They wound up with a 73 and slipped to second at 143 after gallantly staving off their rivals’ charges with a one-under card after No. 11. But they bogeyed the par-3 12th and dropped strokes on the next two to yield the lead to the hot-finishing Uy siblings.
“Unlike in the first round, I struggled with my putting,” rued Pagunsan, who accounted for all but one of their six birdies in a lead-grabbing 70 Thursday.
Art Arbole and Joel Yamyamin matched par 72 for the second straight day for a 144, staying in the hunt for the top P500,000 purse for the former and merchandises and gift packs for the latter in the P2.7 million event sponsored by Delimondo.
Omar Dungca and Carl Corpuz fought back with a 70 after a 76 but lay five strokes off the Uys at 146 heading to the final 18 holes of the alternate shot format event that also showcases the skills and talent of the country’s top and rising amateurs.
Lanz Uy more than proved his worth in her partnership with her elder sister, hitting a solid tee-shot on the difficult No. 8 to set up a birdie chance for Daniella. He also buried the putt for birdie on the next then on No. 11.
The rest, however, would need solid finishes today to contend for the crown although no lead is safe at the rolling, hazard-laden layout with the dreaded wind expected to finally come into play.
Artemio Murakami and Japanese partner Takuya Kawamura, one of two Japanese amateurs competing in the third edition of the tournament organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc., hobbled with a 74 for a 147 in a tie with Joseph Suarez-Paqo Barro (74) and Michael Bibat-Louie Aguinaldo (72).
Jhonnel Ababa and Vince Floro charged back with a 71 to tie Enrico Gallardo and Leandro Bagtas, who made a second 74, at eighth, seven shots off the young Uy tandem.
Only the top 40 pairs from the starting field of 107 teams advanced to the final round event backed by Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, Champion, Summit Mineral Water, K&G Golf Apparel, BDO, Sharp, KZG, PLDT and M.Y. Shokai Technology, Inc. with 2017 champion Tonton Asistio and Judson Eustaquio bowing out of the title race with an 81 for a 153 for joint 24th with Jerson Balasabas-M. Cortez (77) and James Lam-Marianne Bustos (75).
