JOBIM Carlos and new partner DJ Padilla bucked the wind and heat and banked on an early eagle feat to fire a three-under 69 and grab a two-stroke lead over Jelbert Gamolo and Rupert Zaragosa at the start of the Delimondo National Pro-am at Splendido Taal Golf Club in Laurel, Batangas yesterday.
Carlos, 25, and Padilla parred the first two holes from No. 8 where they started in a shotgun start then eagled the par-5 No. 10 then added three birdies against two bogeys in the alternate-shot format that put the pair in command of the 84-pair starting field.
“We played steady and had an almost trouble-free round,” said Carlos, joint 12th with then teammate L. Lagman in last year’s inaugural staging of the event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. “The wind was strong and we’re lucky to finish with a 69.”
While Carlos and Padilla leaned on a strong start, Gamolo and Zaragosa overcame a bogey-bogey opening from No. 14 with three birdies in the last 10 holes as they carded a 71 to stay in early contention in the 54-hole tournament sponsored by Delimondo.
Tonton Asistio and Jude Eustaquio, who nipped Gamolo and then teammate Jolo Magcalayo in a playoff to rule the inaugural staging put up by ICTSI last year at Mt. Malarayat, wavered in windy condition, fumbling with three bogeys and a double-bogey against two birdies for a 75 in a tie with the Elmer Salvador-Oliver Gan, and John Kier Abdon-Raymund Sangil pairs.
Turning in identical 74s were Artemio Murakami-Takuya Kawamura, Jhonnel Ababa-Jaemin Koo, Zanieboy Gialon-Ian Dagatan and Richard Sinfuego-Lorna Tabuena.
The other fancied teams, however, struggled and turned in soaring scores, including Clyde Mondilla and Jeric Hechanova, who bogeyed the first four holes and failed to sustain their fightback of birdies on Nos. 8 and 10 with three straight bogeys from No. 13 before dropping two more strokes on No. 16 for a 79.
Tony Lascuña, a multi-titled winner on the circuit, and Denden de Castro could only shoot one birdie against two doubles bogeys and five bogeys in a horrible 80 start, the same output put in by Jay Bayron-Tony Olives, Jerson Balasabas-Ernesto Lim, and Arnold Villacencio-Ralds Sarmiento.