Filipino-American teen Jaden Dumdumaya held sway in conditions made tougher by intermittent rains on Tuesday, shooting a level par-71 for a one-stroke clubhouse lead after darkness halted play in the first round of the National Stroke Play Championship at Riviera’s Langer layout.
A total of 34 players were left stranded on the course, with Filipino-British Enrique Dimayuga and Carl Corpus shooting 72s to tag at the coattails of the 16-year-old Dumdamaya even as defending champion Kristoffer Arevalo opened with a 77 to be six adrift.
In women’s play, defending champion Mafy Singson scored a 74 to share the lead with Junia Gabasa, with former champion Lois Kaye Go firing a 76.
Dimayuga couldn’t sustain a hot start that had him going two-under after six holes and was at three-under after 15, dropping four strokes in the closing three holes, including a double-bogey 6 on the tough-as-nails 18th.
And while Dimayuga sputtered, Dumdumaya, who has committed to play for University of Southern California in the US NCAA starting this year, birdied the par-3 17th to salvage his even-par card.