Casas, Que share ICTSI lead

DASMARINAS, Cavite—Cassius Casas and Angelo Que, the country’s pro stars of the past and the present, fired five-under-par 67s yesterday to share a one-shot lead with three foreigners after the opening round of the ICTSI Orchard Championship.

The duo shot a combined 11 birdies and an eagle against three bogeys as the Palmer layout here was practically at the mercy of the crack field with 33 players returning sub-par cards and another 11 matching level 72s.

Que gunned down his sixth birdie on the 18th to catch Casas, Aussies Matthew McBain and RJ Caracella and Japanese Yutaka Araki at the helm and pace another five-man group that returned 68s.

Clyde Mondilla and obscure Arnold Villacencio were in the second group together with Yuki Osami and Masaru Takahashi of Japan and Kiwi Clarke Newton as five more Filipinos landed in the top 20, no more than three shots off the pace.

Rufino Bayron and Jonel Ababa, two prominent products of the defunct National Caddies Open program, fired 69s like touted Malaysian Arie Irawan and two more foreigners with Jessie Balasabas, Michael Bibat and Rolando Marabe lurking another shot behind in the company of American Brett Munson and Swede Malcolm Kokocinski.

Casas, who missed the cut last week at The Riviera, played the front nine—his backside—flawlessly, highlighting his effort with two of his five birdies and an eagle 3 from eight feet on No. 6. He bogeyed the 10th and 16th  for a 32-35 effort.