Sinfuego leads as Casas falls apart

CARMONA — Richard Sinfuego seized a two-shot lead despite bogeying two of the last three holes yesterday as Cassius Casas made an even worse windup in a topsy-turvy third round that had probably seen the best and the worst in the most fancied player in the fold in the First Gentleman’s Professional Golf Circuit here.

Sinfuego carded a 73 from an otherwise mediocre 36-37 round marked by a couple of scrambling pars and three birdies and marred by four bogeys. But it proved enough to put him on track for a second straight crown with a 211 as Casas faded down the stretch the way he did in his past foldups.

The good thing is the collapse came a day earlier.

For Casas, who squandered two potential victories and had two other second-place finishes in the last five weeks, will still have 18 holes to regain his confidence — and the lead — he lost in a five-hole stretch at the back of the Legends Course.

Down by four behind halfway leader Dan Cruz and three off Sinfuego at the start of the day, Casas quickly went to work and scorched the frontside with six birdies, including four-straight from No. 3 and swiftly took a three-shot lead with a 30.

But just when he seemed to be on his way to another explosive round, disaster struck the dusky club pro as he fumbled with three straight bogeys from No. 12. Worse, he dropped three strokes in one hole — No. 16 — an otherwise manageable par-3 with a big water hazard on the left and a not-so-deep bunker on the right where he dumped his tee shot and where he needed three shots to get out of it.

In disgust, he threw his sandwedge into the pond.

"Uminit talaga ang ulo ko dun sa hole na yun at napikon ako," rued Casas, who settled for a 72 and a 213.

Sinfuego also bogeyed Nos. 16 and 17 but gained on Casas’ folly as the Canlubang pro set himself up for a crack at another title after spoiling Casas’ bid last week at Orchard.

Cruz failed to sustain his 66 Wednesday as he shot himself in the foot with a 78 and tumbled all the way to joint sixth with Edwin Estrera at 215.

Rey Pagunsan, the other player who beat Casas to rule the Midlands leg of this event bankrolled by First Gentleman Mike Arroyo’s Foundation and San Miguel Beer, turned in the day’s best score of 70 as he moved to 214 in a tie with Robert Pactolerin, firing a 71, and Elmer Salvador, who had a 75.

The rest of the surviving field are too far behind to pose a challenge, making the final round a tossup between Sinfuego and Casas with the troika of Pagunsan, Pactolerin and Salvador given the outside chance.

But for the soft-spoken Sinfuego, the current Order of Merit leader, it will all be a question of putting.

"Pare-pareho naman ang palo namin kaya sa (putting) green na lang magkakatalo ito," he said.

Casas, however, need not only to polish his putting stroke. He must also soothe a badly-bruised confidence.