Pagunsan just 2 off with 67

CARMONA, Cavite—Veteran Mardan Mamat of Singapore and Japan’s up-and-coming Daisuke Kataoka fired seven-under-par 65s yesterday to share the lead even as Juvic Pagunsan lived up to his status as the top Filipino hope by shooting a 67 in the first round of the $1-million Resorts World Manila Masters at Southwoods here.

Mamat, a multiple Asian Tour winner who was the Philippine Open champion in 2012, fired eight birdies while Kataoka assembled a bogey-free 33-32 card as the leading duo took a one-shot lead over Danny Chia of Malaysia and Thai No. 1 Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

Pagunsan, the 2011 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, birdied three of the four par-5 holes for nines of 35-32, with Antonio Lascuña shooting a 68 after mixing seven birdies with three bogeys over the course that he knows very well.

But Angelo Que, another local favorite who is a Southwoods member like Lascuña, opened with a 76 that left him with an uphill task of hurdling the halfway cut in this, the country’s richest gold tournament ever.

Que, running fifth in this year’s OOM, stumbled with a six on the par-3 13th hole and had three more bogeys to go with two birdies.

Aussies Terry Pilkadaris and Sam Brazel and Taiwan’s Hung Cheng-yao and the American Anthony Kang were in the company of Pagunsan, who is seeing action on local soil for the first time in almost two years after severing ties with former benefactor ICTSI and the Philippine Golf Tour.

Defending champion Liang Wenchong of China struggled early but regrouped to piece together a 71 and stay in the fight as the talented field pounded the Jack Nicklaus-designed layout. In all, a total of 44 players cracked par and another 14 returned 72s.

“I hit the ball solid from tee to green and managed to make some putts,” the veteran Mamat said, although his only bogey came on the long par-4 16th which he three-putted from 35 feet.

“My putting was good and I found ways to put my tee shots on the fairways,” said tour rookie Kataoka, who is winless on tour.

Mamat and Kataoka’s rounds were quite impressive considering that they played in the afternoon when the winds picked up.

Pagunsan acknowledged that the course played a lot easier in the morning.

“It’s a really good start,” Pagunsan said. “We were lucky we played in the morning. The wind wasn’t a real factor, except for the last few holes. The afternoon players will have more wind (to contend with).”

Jonel Ababa and Elmer Salvador were in a large group that scored 69s with the veteran Benjie Magada checking in another shot behind in an 11-man pack that fired 70s.

Prom Meesawat, the Thai ace who lost in sudden death to Liang last year, fired a 73 like Filipino legend Frankie Miñoza and PGA Tour winner Daniel Chopra of Sweden and 11 others.