Ira Alido was flawless on an imperfect day, highlighting a spectacular seven-under-par 64 with three straight birdies from No. 15 to practically put away the ICTSI Riviera Championship with an eight-shot lead going into the final round on Friday at the tough-as-nails Langer course in Silang, Cavite province.
Just when seemingly everyone struggled to stay afloat, Alido blew the field away with four of those birdies coming in a seven-hole stretch from No. 2 before he put the finishing touches to an eye-popping effort with that string for a 54-hole 204 aggregate.
Michael Bibat and second round leader Zannieboy Gialon fired a 66 and 73, in that order, to be at 212 as both would need to go really low in the final round and hope that Alido breaks a leg for them to have a shot at the crown.
Justin Quiban fired a 69 for 213 while former Philippine Open champion Angelo Que struggled to shoot a 74 to join two others trailing Alido by 10 shots.
Meanwhile, Pauline del Rosario had a clutch par-save on the 17th, which proved key in a one-shot win over the fancied Princess Superal at the end of the ladies’ division.
Del Rosario, who suffered a bitter defeat as a pro on the same course three years ago to then-amateur Abby Arevalo, closed out with a 72, while Superal, the Couples winner three weeks ago, signed for a bogey on that hole for a 73 and settled for second.
Jobim Carlos, who was in solid contention after a second round 68, posted a 74 to be another shot back.
Alido’s round was astounding in the sense that conditions weren’t that great with rains and winds buffeting the course and bedeviling the field.
Fidel Concepcion, the first round leader, continued his nosedive with a 76 and is now well out of the Top 10, trailing the pace by 15 strokes. INQ