Rates, Superal take lead at Riviera

Joenard Rates drained all of his four birdies in his last 14 holes on Tuesday for a three-under-par 69 and a one-shot lead over rookie Ira Alido after the opening round of the P2-million ICTSI Riviera Invitational Challenge, local pro golf’s first tournament after more than eight months.

The two-time tour winner used superb approaches to get close birdie looks even as the fancied Miguel Tabuena lurked two shots behind and Angelo Que four adrift in the tournament that did not allow caddies, adding another physical aspect to the tournament where players had to carry their own bags and made players pull or carry their bags.

“It’s tough, but we have to get used to it under the new normal,” Rates said of playing without a caddy. “I’m prepared for it physically.”

Princess Superal fired a 67 highlighted by an eagle 3 on No. 2 as she zoomed to a six-shot advantage in women’s play over rookie Abby Arevalo and Daniella Uy.

Antonio Lascuña and unheralded Rico Depilo assembled 71s to be in the company of Tabuena, the Rio Olympics veteran who had a roller-coaster round made up of an eagle, four birdies, two bogeys and an uncharacteristic triple bogey 8 on No. 11.

Que, the 2008 Philippine Open champion at Wack Wack, closed out with a double bogey on the par-4 18th and was bunched with four others at 73 counting Jonel Ababa and American Lexus Keoninh.

Superal finished birdie-birdie and is threatening to put away this tournament early unless Arevalo and the others could go low in the second round of the 54-hole women’s tournament on Wednesday.

Pauline del Rosario returned a 74 to be seven back.