Mondilla cards record 64, leads by 7

IN-FORM Clyde Mondilla drained an eagle and seven birdies on the way to a sizzling course record of eight-under-par 64 Thursday and a seven-stroke lead over Elmer Salvador and Jonel Ababa halfway through the P2 million ICTSI Calatagan Invitational in Batangas.

Mondilla eagled the par-5 opening hole and went on to carve out a 32-32 round for a 36-hole 131 aggregate, threatening to leave everyone eating dust in his quest to win back-to-back titles for the first time in his career.

“Everything just clicked,” Mondilla, a Bukidnon native who hit a 3-iron off the first tee and 3-wood for his second shot that landed within 16 feet of the cup on No. 1, said in Filipino.

He went bogey-free in carding an opening 67 and dropped his only shot of the week on the par-4 fifth hole after missing the green.

Salvador, the 2009 Philippine Open champion at Malarayat in Lipa, fired a 69, while Ababa, who calls this tree-lined course home, assembled a 70 to remain in the hunt with the fancied Antonio Lascuna lurking another shot back after a 71.

Jay Bayron vaulted into contention after a 68 for 141 with Joenard Rates, who started the day in a three-way tie for the lead with Mondilla and the unheralded Reymon Jaraulla, shooting himself in the foot with a 75.

Jaraulla, after shooting his career-best opening round 67 on Wednesday, knocked himself out of title contention after ballooning to an 80, making just one birdie that went with a triple bogey, two double bogeys and three bogeys in a forgettable 40-40 effort.

“If he (Mondilla) continued to putt that way, no one can beat him,” Lascuna said after playing the first two rounds with Mondilla, the Manila Masters champion at Eastridge in Binangonan, Rizal, two weeks ago.
Syotaro Onuki of Japan was the best-placed foreigner after a 70, tied with Rates after countryman Yuta Sudo, who was just three shots out of the lead after the first round, carded an 82 and made the cut on the dot at 152.