Korean expatriates showed the way after the first 18 holes of the WWWExpress-DHL Amateur golf championships yesterday at Canlubang’s North course in Laguna.
Sung Hwan-yoon fired an eagle-aided two-under 70 to grab a two-stroke lead over compatriot Mun Jae-hyeong as the locals couldn’t keep up with their foreign rivals.
The best Filipino scorers were John Kier Abdon and Inigo Raymundo, who both carded 75s as blustery gusts added to the challenge of the heavily wooded course.
Sung actually had a shaky start, dropping two shots in his first two holes before buckling down to work with back-to-back birdies from No. 5 and holing out from the fairway on the par-4 eighth for his eagle.
Mun, meanwhile, signed for 18 pars and kept Sung within sight.
Wang Jeung-hun, the Riviera mainstay, won the title last year at the expense of Jobim Carlos, leading from start to finish in one of the more dominant performances in the history of the prestigious event sponsored by WWWExpress, DHL and presented by Globe Telecoms.
Joey Huerva, who played for Canlubang in the PAL Interclub two years ago, shot a 76 like Jan de Claro, Jonar Austria and Del Monte standout Magno Arancon even as Andres Saldana, the lefty out of Alabang, struggled with a 78.
Saldana, a big reason why Alabang finished third in the Interclub last month, had three bogeys in his first four holes and never recovered.
Meanwhile, the women’s side of the event tees off today with Lovelyn Guioguio shooting for a repeat against a formidable field that includes Dottie Ardina, Daniella Uy, Jayvie Agojo, among others.
The event, serving as the second leg of the Globe series, is organized and conducted by the National Golf Association of the Philippines with Pancake House and Golf Depot as other sponsors and AirPhil Express as the official airline.
The leading scores:
(Filipino unless stated)
70—SH Yoon (Kor) 35-35; 72—Mun JH (Kor) 36-36; 75—I. Raymundo 40-35, J. Abdon 37-38; 76—J. De Claro 38-38, J. Huerva 38-38, J. Austria 39-37, M. Arancon 36-40; 77—A. Villasencio 38-39, R. Jaraulla 37-40, J, Uy 39-38, K. Jahns 37-40, SJ Woo (Kor) 40-37; A. Saldana 39-39, G. Gangiongco 41-37, J. Mamaril 42-36, L. Celestino 41-37, N. Langamin 39-39, S. Lorenzo 37-41