SAN DIEGO, California—The sun didn’t come out all day but Carl Jano Corpus and Jed Dy found a reason to shine.
Corpus and Dy delivered the scores that mattered when the Japanese went on a rampage on an unusually gloomy day in Sunshine City, putting themselves in the hunt with respectable rounds at the start Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) of the 47th Callaway Junior World golf championships here.
Playing in different age groups, Corpus and Dy both finished the day occupying second position with Corpus close enough and Dy quite far behind with rounds of 67 at Sycuan Resort-Oak Glen and a one-under 61 at Welk Resort-Fountains, respectively.
They were the bright points for Team Philippines even as Japan forged ahead in seven age group divisions.
Corpuz had seven birdies—including three in a row from the second—that negated four bogeys to trail the American leader in the boys’ 11-12 years by three while Dy opened his campaign for a followup to his boys’ 7-8 conquest in 2012, six shots behind familiar rival Japanese Ken Shibata in the boys’ 9-10 years play.
Miya Legaspi, Bernice Ilas, Wei Wei Gao, Yuka Saso and Harmie Constantino also barged into contention even as Rupert Zaragosa shot himself in the foot with a six-over-par 78 in the 15-17 bracket at Torrey Pines south course.
Ilas, who co-authored a title double with Dy with her victory in the 9-10 age-group three years ago, carded a three-under 70 at the Rancho Bernardo Inn course for a share of fifth in girls’ 9-10 years; Legaspi assembled a two-under 70 at Torrey Pines North and was in sixth place in the girls’ 15-17 and Cebu pride Wei Wei Gao served notice of his serious bid for the 13-14 plum with a four-under 67 highlighted by an eagle and four birdies on his last 11 holes at Morgan Run Resort.
“We have quite a number of them potentially getting into the title picture in the second round,” said Luigi Tabuena, president of the Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines.
Ilas, playing with a brace on her right knee after a freak accident, got off to a birdie-birdie start and could have easily kept herself closer if not for putting miscues that put her four behind California native Yealimi Noh (66).
Saso and Constantino had 71s at the Country Club of Rancho Bernardino and were also in a six-way logjam for sixth.
Also in the girls’ 15-17, Daniella Uy’s 71 was good for joint 12th while national player Princess Superal was in the group at 18th place after matching par 72.
Pauline del Rosario was far behind in the 15-17 chase after soaring to a 76.