Thais, 3 others pace RWM

Carmona, Cavite—Everyone came out firing at the start of the $1 million Resorts World Manila Masters yesterday, with five foreigners shooting eight-under-par 64s to share the lead and keep an equally impressive local challenge at bay.

Taiwanese veteran Lin Wen-tang and India’s Jyoti Randhawa, veterans with sterling Asian Tour credentials, were among those bunched at the top as the field practically tore the Manila Southwoods Masters layout apart as conditions were ideal all day long.

Danthai Boonma and Rattanon Wannasrichan of Thailand and the lanky Johannes Veerman of the US were the others at the top as they led five other foreigners by a stroke after one of the lowest-scoring opening rounds on tour this season.

Rufino Bayron and Clyde Mondilla carved out 66s to be in a seven-man group that lay two strokes adrift even as Miguel Tabuena and Frankie Miñoza—the immediate past and present of local pro golf— fired 67s to keep the leaders within sight.

Hung Chien-yao of Chinese-Taipei, who scored an ace but bungled command in the final hole last year, got his campaign going on a hot note by turning in one of five 65s in a morning flight before Steve Lewton of England, Tirawat Kaewsiriandit and Sutijet Kooratanapisan of Thailand and Aussie Adam Groom caught up.

Tabuena, the 22-year-old Olympian, signed for a double bogey 6 on the 14th but closed out his round with a flurry, birdieing his last four holes to salvage a 34-33 and catch up with Miñoza, former champion Mardan Mamat of Singapore, Frenchman Lionel Weber, Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe, Aussie Terry Pilkadaris, South Korean Giw Han-kim and baby-faced Malaysian Nicolas Fung.

“The absence of the winds today made it a fairly easy course,” the 44-year-old Randhawa said after going bogey-less in a 31-33 effort.

Lin, whose Solaire Open win at Wack Wack a few years back was the last of his six Asian Tour wins, eagled the par-5 18th for a piece of the lead, while Boonma had nine birdies and Wannasrichan and Veerman had eagle-spiked rounds.

“It was a good day and I came out feeling very happy about my game,” Lin said. “There was no wind and that really helped (in the field scoring).”

A total of 83 players submitted sub-par cards with another 20 shooting level 72s, but Juvic Pagunsan, the former Philippine No. 1 and Japan Tour regular, was not among them as he stumbled with a 75 as he reportedly played with a sore right wrist.

Defending champion Natipong Srithong of Thailand struggled somewhat with a 71 and would need to work up a lot of ground starting today to figure in weekend play.

Jbe Kruger of South Africa, the runner-up last year, fired a 69 to be bunched in a 14-man group counting Antonio Lascuña and Zannie Boy Gialon that trailed the leaders by five.