ICTSI players: unheralded villanueva paces mondilla, 2 foreigners

LIPA City, Batangas—For a change, Dino Villanueva found himself on top of the leaderboard Tuesday.

Villanueva, who missed the cut in three of his last four tournaments, closed out birdie-birdie from the backside to tally a six-under-par 66 and seize the spotlight from Clyde Mondilla in the ICTSI Players Championship at Summit Point Golf Club here.

Sustaining his climb to form after placing 20th in last week’s ICTSI Riviera Classic, Villanueva drilled in seven birdies against a lone bogey on the par-5 No. 5 en route to nines of 32-34 that bettered the 67s of Mondilla, Aussie Nathan Park and Dutchman Guido Van der Valk.

“I played awesome, everything was in place,” said Villanueva, who failed to advance at the ICTSI Classic of the Philippine Golf Tour, the Aboitiz Invitational at Southwoods and the ICTSI Splendido of the PGT Asia Tour, before reaching the money chase at Riviera.

Liking the view from above, Villanueva is now entertaining thoughts of ending a decade-long quest for a victory.

“Hopefully, this would be my time,” said Villanueva. “I never won a tournament in 10 years and I hope to sustain my game in the next three days and make it for the first time.”

The favored Mondilla, already assured of the PGT Order of Merit title, canned seven birdies against two bogeys and is expected to make his move in Wednesday’s second round of the P3 million tournament.

Veteran Elmer Salvador and unheralded Raymund Gonzales was another shot behind with 68s in the P3 million event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

They were followed by Michael Bibat, Jobim Carlos and Cookie La’O with 69s.

Lodged at 70 were Jay Bayron, who pooled a 23-under 265 to rule the last ICTSI Summit Point Classic in 2015, Jhonnel Ababa, Nelson Huerva, Jelbert Gamolo and South Korean Park Jun Sung.

Seven others shot 71s, including 2014 Summit Point champion Arnold Villacencio and 1990 Philippine Open champion Robert Pactolerin. Rufino Bayron led nine others who matched par 72.

The event, serving as the final stop of the 10-leg PGT circuit, is being backed by Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, Champion, Summit Mineral Water, K&G Golf Apparel, BDO, Sharp, KZG, PLDT and M.Y. Shokai Technology, Inc. —ROY LUARCA