Bondoc leads Filipinos’ charge in Brunei with 68

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN—Gene Bondoc shot a 3-under-par 68 as the unlikely Filipino spearhead on a day of explosive scoring in the first round of the Brunei Open on Thursday.

The unheralded Bondoc assembled a three-birdie, bogeyless round of 34-34 at the par-71 Empire Hotel and Country Club course and trailed by six shots Thailand’s Thammanoon Srirot, who equaled the course record with a 62.

Comebacking Gerald Rosales was another Filipino revelation with a 69, a shot ahead of Juvic Pagunsan and Mars Pucay while Antonio Lascuña matched par 71.

A disappointment among the Filipinos was Angelo Que, who struggled with a 75 following a roller coaster round of 39-36.