CLYDE Mondilla elected to play it safe in the opening round of the ICTSI Calatagan Invitational yesterday and was rewarded for it, shooting a bogey-free five-under-par 67 to tie Joenard Rates and Reymon Jaraulla for the lead.
Opting for precision with a trusted 3-iron off most tees, the long-hitting Mondilla avoided all the trouble at the tree-lined layout and got his bid for first back-to-back titles in his career off on the right foot.
The trio held a one-shot lead over Jonel Ababa and 2012 champion Antonio Lascuna.
Former Philippine Open champion Elmer Salvador fired a 69 for his best start in quite a long while.
Japan’s Yuta Sudo shot a 70 to be the best-placed foreigner in the P2 million event.
Rates, the John Hay champion in 2012, had an eagle and five birdies in a 34-33 card even as Jaraulla also went flawless in a similar 34-33 effort over the demanding layout that gave up just 10 sub-par cards and had a dozen players shooting in the 80s.
Mark Fernando, another former champion, Zannie Boy Gialon and Chucky Hong carded 71s to be solidly in the hunt with Mars Pucay and Rolando Marabe matching par like Park Min-ung of South Korea and Syotato Onuki of Japan.
Ababa, who calls this course home, checked a wobbly start by draining four of his six birdies from No. 7, putting himself in prime position to snapping a long drought.