Hyun Ho Rho outgunned Ryan Monsalve in an early shootout between two emerging stars of the Philippine Golf Tour, spiking his solid, five-under 67 with a hole-in-one in the first round of the ICTSI Philippine Masters in Pasay City yesterday (Wednesday).
The 2023 PGT Q-School topnotcher aced the 195-yard No. 4, complemented by three birdies, including two in the last three holes. His bogey-free 33-34 performance came in scorching conditions at the Villamor Golf Club which yielded just five under-par rounds.
Monsalve had an impressive start in the third flight with Rho and veteran Marvin Dumandan, eagling the par-5 No. 2 and bouncing back from a mishap on third hole with birdie on No. 6. He dominated the next two long holes on Nos. 8 and 13 but couldn’t match Rho’s birdie on the par-5 18th.
Still, Monsalve’s 68 put himself in early contention in the P2 million championship, his best start in a career marked by a fifth-place finish in his first pro event at Apo last March.