BACOLOD—Just like that, Orchard shrugged off the “sleeper” tag.
Orchard quickly established itself as a favorite after Day 1 of the 67th Philippine Airlines Interclub’s Men’s championship Wednesday, shooting 129 points to take the centerpiece division lead by four over perennial contender Del Monte.
National team veteran Jik-Jik Abdon fired a one-over-par 73 worth 35 points and Raymund Sangil and Rodel Mangulabnan accounted for 33 apiece for the Dasmariñas, Cavite-based squad while Cebu Country Club opened its “three-peat” bid on a whimper at tree-lined Binitin in Murcia town here.
Nicolas Santiago contributed 28 points and Orchard threw away the 24 of Antonio Payumo even as Jelbert Gamolo paced Del Monte with a similar 71 and Magno Arancon Jr. fired a 33, but the 2011 champions only got 57 points from their next two men for their 125. Orchard won the Founders Division in convincing fashion last year and made the jump to the premier division with ease.
Julius Bautista fired 30 points and Francis Morilla was good for 27 for Del Monte, which discarded the 23 of Jansen Morilla.
While Orchard surprised the field by coming out of the gates hard, Cebu Country Club and Alabang, 1-2 last year in Cebu, were surprisingly slow-footed. Cebu CC, which is seeking a first for the club here, could do no better than 115 points with Japanese teener Gen Nagai leading the way with 34 and Harvey Sytiongsa shooting a 29.
Former pro Carl Almario and rookie Tikofumi Takahashi struggled to shoot 26s with Jovi Neri’s 25 failing to count. Alabang, with its spearhead Andres Saldaña and practically everyone else in the lineup struggling with the tightness of the shots required off the tees, fired 109 points and would have a lot of catching up to do starting with Thursday’s second round at the more challenging Marapara layout.
“We wanted to form a strong team at Binitin so we can score big,” non-playing Orchard skipper Francis Montallana said. “Because it is in Binitin where we can score big.”
The five coming out for Orchard today is just as strong with the seasoned King Stehmeier and young JP De Claro leading the charge.
“We’re not worried because we have a strong team for the second day,” Cebu CC team official Jeric Hechanova said.
“If you look at Orchard, two of their best players (Abdon and Sangil) already played today (Wednesday), leaving them with just one out of the last three rounds to play.”
Valley Golf got 31 points from Eddie Boy Lopez and pooled 114 for a four-point Founders Division lead over Apo Golf, which was paced by Chicoy Saavedra’s 29 points also at Binitin layout.
(NOTES: This year’s Interclub is co-sponsored by CrossOver with Boeing, Philippines Graphic, Stargate Media (People Asia) and Rogue as corporate backers. Also lending support are Airbus, Business Mirror, One Mega Group (Travel Now), Philippine Broadcasting Corp., Manila Broadcasting Corp. and Manila Bulletin.)
The first-round scores:
Founders—Valley Golf 114, Apo Golf 110, Manila Southwoods 106, Zamboanga 106, Rancho Palos Verdes 103, Tagaytay High Lands 103, Villamor Golf 102,Riviera Golf 101, Negros Occidental Golf 100, Sta Elena 98, Forest Hills 97, Iligan 97, Manila Golf 94, Mactan Island 93, Pueblo De Oro 88, Alta Vista 87, Wack Wack 83, Maharlika 63, Yokohama Eagles 33;
Sportswriters—Lumbia 109, Eagle Ridge 101, Iloilo Golf 100, Club Filipino 99, Davao City Golf 97, Bacolod Golf 97, So Cal Redhawk 93, Bay Area Golf 83, Philippine Navy 82, Sherwood Hills – Suntrust 82, Guinhalaran 79, Sarangani Golf 79, Lanang Golf 77, Fil Am Fair Field 71, PGA of BC 69, Baguio Cuntry Club 68, Pittsburg Fil Am 66, Leyte Golf 63, South Bay 58, Van City Golf 50, Greater Vancouver 32;
Friendship—Victorias Golf 94, UP Tee Jots 82, South Cotabato 80, Filam Hawaii 79, Mabuhay Golf Of San Francisco 77, Cotabato Golf 77, Austral-Asian Golf 70, Pearl Kai Hawaii 66, Figme Dubai 61, FGA Riyadh 54, SF Crystal Springs 52, Seattle Golf 47;
Championship—Orchard 129, Del Monte 125, Cebu Country Club 115, Alabang Country Club 109, Anvaya Cove 70, Camp John Hay 66, Figme UAE 61, Greenhills West 60,Moffet Field Golf 55, MSU Golf 54, Fil Oz Sydney 47, Filipino Golfers Kuwait 43