Long shot local paces Aboitiz golf with a 69 | Inquirer Sports

Long shot local paces Aboitiz golf with a 69

By: - Reporter / @MusongINQ
/ 08:19 PM August 31, 2011

CEBU CITY—Nine Filipinos occupied the first 11 spots and the leader was one not many expected to be there after a trying first round in the $65,000 Aboitiz Invitational presented by ICTSI 2011 Wednesday.

Arnold Villacencio, a little-known, long-hitting pro playing out of Lipa City, finished birdie-birdie on a day when bogeys came easy to fire a 1-under-par 69 and take a two-shot lead over Marvin Dumandan at the Asian Development Tour event at the Cebu Country Club course.

Starting on the back nine, which he finished with a bogey for a 36, Villacencio parred the first seven holes coming home before picking up two strokes on the two closing holes.

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Former Philippine Open champions Elmer Salvador and Cassius Casas both returned 71s like the veteran Edgar Ababa, Antonio Asistio and defending champion Jay Bayron.

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Rookie pro Miguel Tabuena, fresh off a 14th-place finish in Taiwan, fired a 72 like Randy Garalde, Thailand’s Tommy Mansuwan and American Jonathan Moore.

Villacencio capped his round with a pitch to within a foot of the cup on No. 9.

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“It’s a short course that fits my game well,” the 42-year-old Villacencio, a former Apo Golf caddy in Davao, said in Filipino.
Bayron, who won last year over Juvic Pagunsan, went birdie-eagle on his first two holes for a 32 before floundering on his final nine with bogeys on five of his first six holes.

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Dumandan hit just three greens but gunned down birdies on two of them.

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Antonio Lascuña, another favorite, returned a 73 that was marred by five bogeys.

“What he did today was very special—I was in awe,” Lascuña said in Filipino, referring to the numerous up-and-downs that Dumandan churned out. “I hit 13 greens and look at my score.”

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Kao Shang-hung of Chinese Taipei, who won the $120,000 Ballantines leg of the ADT back home last week, withdrew after shooting an even-bogey 44 on his first nine.

The leading scores:
(Filipino unless stated)
69—A. Villacencio 33-36; 70—M. Dumandan 33-37; 71—E. Ababa 37-34, C. Casas 36-35, E. Salvador 34-37, A. Asistio 32-39, J, Bayron 32-39; 72—R. Garalde 37-35, T. Mansuwan (Tha) 37-35, J. Moore (US) 37-35, M. Tabuena 35-37; 73—A. Fernando 39-34, A. Engino 38-35, R. Minoza 38-35, M. Docking (US) 37-36, P. San Gabriel 36-37, M. Bibat 36-37, A. Lascuña 36-37, R. Bayron 35-38, J. Ababa 35-38; 74—R. Sinfuego 37-37, E. Rellon 37-37, C. C. Chang (TPE) 37-37, M. Perera (LKA) 37-37, F. Aunzo 36-38.

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TAGS: Antonio Lascuna, Arnold Villacencio, Golf, ICTSI, Jay Bayron, Juvic Pagunsan, Marvin Dumandan, Miguel Tabuena, Sports

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