Mondilla makes eagle-aided move, grabs 1-shot Malarayat lead

Clyde Mondilla made a bold move yesterday, shooting an eagle-aided seven-under-par 65 to wrest a one-shot lead over Orlan Sumcad going into today’s final round of the P2 million ICTSI Mount Malarayat Classic at the complex’ composite layout in Lipa City, Batangas.

Mondilla drove the 331-yard par-4 seventh hole to within a pin of the cup for his eagle, which went with six birdies against two bogeys, to move in prime position for a third title this season with a 54-hole 206 aggregate.

Sumcad, a veteran seeking a long-overdue breakthrough win in the pros, fired a 71 to be a shot behind, with Marvin Dumandan firing a 70 to be two strokes back.

Jay Bayron, shooting for a third straight championship after ruling the Aboitiz Invitational and The Riviera stops, accounted for a second straight 71 to be four shots adrift.

“I just felt good and attacked the greens,” Mondilla said in Filipino. “I was just confident the whole round.”

Dutchman Guido Van Der Valk fired a 69 to be five adrift, with Antonio Lascuña standing another stroke behind despite a 68, a second-round 73 making him lose a lot of ground.

“I still feel confident of my chances going into tomorrow (today),” Sumcad, who knows the Mount Malipunyo and Mount Lobo nines like the back of his hands, said in Filipino. “It will all go down to putting. I just hope my putting clicks.”

After dropping just one shot in the first two rounds, the power-hitting Sumcad threw away a three-under card—and the third-round lead—with bogeys on Nos. 16 and 18.

Dumandan hopes to snap a title-less spell and said that driving could decide today’s final round. Musong R. Castillo