Abdon fires 70, but golfers trail by eight

NAYPYITAW—John Kier Abdon fired a 2-under 70 to join a four-way tie for fourth in individual play, but  the rest of Team Philippines groped for form Sunday at the start of the 27th Southeast Asian Games golf competition at Royal Myanmar Golf course here.

The 2012 Philippine Amateur champion nailed four birdies against two bogeys in a 37-33 round that gave him a share of fourth with Chi Quan Truong of Vietnam, Singapore’s Jonathan Wu and Myo Win Aung of Burma (Myanmar).

Thailand’s Danthai Boonma and Malaysia’s Gavin Green carded identical 68s to take a one-shot lead over William Sjaichidun of Indonesia.

With Abdon the only Filipino breaking par, the other PH bets, struggling with their putting, finished the round  sixth in the team event with 218, eight shots behind the Thais.

“They’re hitting the ball well, but we missed a lot of makeable putts,” said coach Carito Villaroman, who is looking to steer the team to a medal after a shutout in Palembang two years ago.

“The greens are tricky and hard to read. But the players are capable of adjusting. There’s plenty of golf to be played.”

US-based Jobim Carlos, who got a late clearance from the University of San Francisco to compete here, submitted a 73, while 15-year-old Rupert Zaragosa limped home with a 75. The 82 of Justin Quiban did not count.

Women’s play gets going Monday with Katrina Briones, Mia Legaspi and Princess Superal bannering the country’s campaign.