Zaragosa, Guerrero pace PH Am

TOURNAMENT-FAVORITE Rupert Zara-gosa shot a four-under-par 68 and shared the first round lead with Luigi Guerrero in the classification phase of the Philippine Amateur Open Match Play championship at Orchard in Dasmariñas, Cavite.

The pint-sized Zaragosa had three of his five birdies in the front nine while Guerrero birdied the 18th to gain a piece of the lead with the many time national champion.

Ace Stehmeier, a familiar fixture in Orchard’s teams in the PAL Interclub, used a hot finish to salvage a 71 like Jelbert Gamolo and Rolando Pila, the runner-up to Zaragosa in the MVP Sports Foundation Match Play in Cebu recently.

Southwoods mainstay Ryan Monsalve fired a 73 to be in sixth spot together with Luisita’s Lanz Uy, with Tom Kim, the South Korean who recently won the junior stroke play title, shooting a 74 like Joseph Orbito.

Japanese Yuto Katsuragawa, the 16-year-old low amateur in the recent ADT legs here, returned a 76.

Nicole Abelar, Jona Magcalayo and Kristine Torralba shared the women’s lead with 78s, with Korean Hwang Min-jeong, the favorite in this side of the event, firing an 83.

Tomi Arejola and Eagle Ace Superal carded 85s in the annual tournament sponsored by the MVP Sports Foundation, Smart, PLDT and Metro Pacific Investments Corp.

Zaragosa as well as the other favorites will have no trouble advancing to the knockout stage, with only the rankings left to be determined today.