CALATAGAN, Batangas—Teenaged Korean amateur Hwang Kang-yul salvaged a three-over-par 75 in demanding conditions yesterday to grab a one-stroke lead over Rufino Bayron heading into the final round of the P1-million ICTSI Calatagan Challenge.
The 19-year-old playing out of Riviera in Cavite recovered from a horrendous first nine holes with a 35 for a 142 aggregate to put himself in a position to become just the third amateur to win on the ICTSI Tour.
Bayron, who was actually the first amateur to pull off the trick at Valley in 2008, bogeyed his last two holes and settled for a 76 over the soggy, tree-lined layout south of Manila.
Hwang was bogey-less in an opening 67 on Wednesday but, like the rest of the field, found the layout too tough to handle because of soggy fairways that made the course longer.
Mark Fernando, the former national team spearhead who calls the course home, churned out the day’s only sub-par round—a 71—and caught Bayron in second.
Curiously, Bayron and Fernando were the first two amateurs to win legs on the Tour, with Fernando winning at Riviera three years ago.
Juvic Pagunsan, the superstar playing here in his break from the lucrative Japan PGA, fired a woeful 82 for a 154 and still comfortably made the cut. He was 12 shots adrift.
Obscure Chris delos Santos recorded a second straight 73 for 146 like Orlan Sumcad, the long-hitting Malarayat veteran, who also struggled to a 75.
Marvin Dumandan and Arnold Villacencio returned 77s for 147 with defending champion Jonel Ababa shooting a 78 for 148, still mathematically in the hunt.