PRESS RELEASE
CEBU – Mark Anthony Dy matched par 72 while Lois Kaye Go carded a three-over 75 as the local aces took charge in their respective divisions at the start of the 36-hole stroke play eliminations of the first MVPSF Visayas Regional Match Play Championship at the Cebu Country Club here Monday.
Dy, the reigning club champion of the host course, gunned down four birdies to negate a double-bogey mishap on No. 3 and bogeys on Nos. 9 and 12 as he strung up nines of 37-35 to post a one-stroke lead over Rolando Pila and zero in on the top seeding heading to the knockout phase tomorrow (Wednesday).
Pila actually blew a two-under card with a disastrous triple-bogey six on the par-3 No. 15, dropping to second with a 73 while Chepe Dulay turned in a 75 for third followed by fancied Rupert Zaragosa, who struggled with a 76, and Jolo Magcalayo, Airon Sorino and Marko Sarmiento, who all shot 78s.
Zaragosa, winner of last year’s Philippine Junior Amateur Open crown, rebounded from a woeful 40 start with birdies on the first two holes at the back. But after a run of pars, he stumbled with a double-bogey on the final hole and wound up with a 76 and fell four strokes off Dy.
Go, meanwhile, took a three-stroke lead over Angela Mangana in the ladies side of the week-long event sponsored by the MVP Sports Foundation, Smart, PLDT, Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and the Philippine Sports Commission and held as part of the PLDT Group National Amateur Golf Tour. The Cebuana ace stumbled with a triple-bogey on the par-4 14th but struck back with back-to-back birdies from No. 16 to salvage a 38-37 card.
Mangana recovered a bit from an opening 40 with a closing 38 to take second while Kristine Torralba and reigning national stroke play champion Harmie Constantino groped for form with a pair of 81s in the event organized and conducted by the National Golf Association of the Philippines.
Thomas Ngo, Harvey Sytiongsa and Jonas Magcalayo also submitted 79s while Ariel Mangana and Miguel Guerrero shot similar 80s, in the men’s side of the event where the top 32 players will move to the next phase where play shifts from medal to match.
The top 16 in the ladies section will also advance with the survivors set to slug it out in grueling quarters and semis phases on Thursday and the 36-hole finale on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Junior Amateur Open Golf Championship (Stroke Play) will be held April 14-17 at Sherwood Hills Golf Club in Cavite with the NGAP also set to hold the Philippine Amateur Open Match Play Golf Championship on April 25-29 at the Orchard Golf and Country Club in Dasmariñas, Cavite.
For details, call the NGAP at (02) 5179778 or 7065926.
