CLARK Field, Pampanga—Jobim Carlos played according to pre-tournament hype, shooting a three-under-par 69 worth 39 points to power Canlubang to a one-point lead over defending champion Manila Southwoods at the start yesterday of the 69th PAL Interclub Men’s Championship.
The 23-year-old Carlos, who is using this event as his final amateur event before joining the pro ranks next week, mixed six birdies with three bogeys at the picturesque Mountain View layout of the Mimosa here to get the Sugar Barons to a 138 total for the day.
Young Aidric Chan pooled 34 points and Marco Olives assembled 33 for the Sugar Barons, who are making their first appearance in this tournament since 2011 and are looking to complete another Men’s-Senior’s double since 2010.
Yuto Katsuragawa scored 38 points and national pool member Justin Quiban shot 37 as Southwoods tallied a 137 after getting 32 points from Chepe Dulay and throwing away the 30 of the veteran Jun Jun Plana.
“I just want to play well for my team,” Carlos, who was a member of that 2010 squad, said. “I have no aspirations for the individual award. Team comes first here.”
Orchard, the champion two years ago in Bacolod, tallied 125 built around the 35 of Liam Cully, with Richard Joson and ex-pro Raymond Sangil counting with 31s even as Luisita lay another five points back at 120 after getting 31s from Koreans Tom Kim and Chan Jung-park.
Southwoods fielded its top two players in the 16-year-old Katsuragawa and the long-hitting Quiban but fell a tad short in the first round as action shifts to the shorter Acacia and Lake View nines today.
“This is a better line-up for us, but the team faces a stiff challenge with Canlubang around,” Thirdy Escano, Southwoods’ non-playing skipper, said.
With ex-pro turned businessman Gary Sales shooting 34 points, Villamor zoomed to a five-point lead over Forest Hills in the Founders Division, which also got going at the composite Acacia and Lake View nines.
Sales had all two of his birdies in the back nine and Villamor, which won in the Sportswriters Division 10 years ago, got 30 from Richard Delos Santos, 28 from Jun Bautista, 27 from JayJay Dinglasan before throwing away Jun Arceo’s 26 for 119.
Forest Hills, powered by the 35 points of Jude Eustaquio, has a four-point edge over Cebu Country Club, which got relegated to the lower division at the 11th hour.
Rancho Palos Verdes, with Vicente Gumapac shooting 32 and Ronald Galicia and Christopher Tan contributing 26s, shot 109 to lead Apo Golf by a point in the Aviators Division.
The Interclub is sponsored by People Asia, Travelife, Mareco Broadcasting Network (Crossover), Manila Broadcasting Corporation, Airbus, Business Mirror and Philippine National Bank.
Other supporters are Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inquirer.net, Plantation Bay Resort and Spa, Tanduay Distillers, Asia Brewery, Splash Corporation, RFM Corporation, Goldilocks, Eastgate Publishing Corporation, Robinsons Land and Rolls-Royce.