North golfers pad lead to 5

Team North  swept the last three matches for a 4-2 victory in the alternate shot format and pulled away by five points over Team South Wednesday in The Duel–North vs South 4 at Wack Wack’s East course.

Brothers Jay and Rufino Bayron and Tony Lascuña and Orlan Sumcad struck first  for the South squad while Angelo Que and Mars Pucay delivered for the North which started the day holding a three-point lead after the opening foursomes.

Miguel Tabuena bounced back from a loss in fourball with Benjie Magada Tuesday as he teamed up with Joenard Rates to score a 6 & 4 rout of the Jhonnel Ababa-Charles Hong tandem to kick off North’s fiery finish.

Miguel Ochoa and James Ryan Lam humbled the fancied pair of Cassius Casas and Clyde Mondilla, 2 & 1, and Magada and Randy Garalde bested Elmer Salvador and Arnold Villacencio, 2 & 1.

With 8.5 points to South’s 3.5 , Team North now needs just four wins in today’s 12 singles matches to avenge its 20-8 blowout loss last year in Cebu.

“We’ll never stop. We’ll play as if we’re the ones trailing,” said North skipper Artemio Murakami.

Ochoa, who swept his fourball and foursomes assignments, sets out in the first match against Marvin Dumandan, then Magada squares off with Sumcad. Gerald Rosales takes on Casas and Keanu Jahns tests Mondilla’s mettle.

Que  is heavily favored against Villacencio and so is Lam against Ferdie Aunzo. Pucay battles Lascuña, Jun Bernis faces Rufino Bayron, Michael Bibat tangles with Ababa, Rates mixes it up with Jay Bayron, Tabuena clashes with Hong, and Garalde collides with Salvador.