Gialon new leader at Langer after a 65

Zanieboy Gialon gunned down seven birdies in a 13-hole stretch on Wednesday and went on to shoot a six-under-par 65 that boosted the former caddy from Davao City to a one-shot lead halfway through the P2.5-million ICTSI Riviera Championship at the Langer course in Silang, Cavite province.

His last four birdies came in the back nine, three of them straight from No. 12, before he dropped his only shot on the par-3 17th, that sealed a 32-33 effort for a 139 aggregate and a precarious one-shot lead over Ira Alido and the dangerous Angelo Que, who shot 70 and 73, in that order.

Jobim Carlos rebounded from a mediocre opening round with a 68 and was another shot back at 141 like Rupert Zaragosa, who assembled a 70 even as first round leader Fidel Concepcion ballooned to a 78 to be five shot back in the last of two events that marked the restart of the local tour in a very effective bubble setting.

Ferdie Aunzo and Sean Talmadge, tied for second at the start of the day, struggled to post 73s to be at level 142 with the multititled Jonel Ababa wheeling into solid contention after a 68 to be tied with Concepcion, and Justin Quiban who shot a 74.

“I played well and hit almost all the fairways,” Gialon said in Filipino as he aims to snap a three-year winless spell dating back to Calatagan Challenge.

Concepcion, meanwhile, shot himself in the foot with two double bogeys on par-5s, two bogeys and a quadruple bogey 8 on No. 14. He also had four bogeys that went with five birdies, which all came in the back nine.

Que, the former Philippine Open champion, still looms as the most formidable player in the top five going into the money rounds. He already has an eagle and seven birdies in the first two rounds.