Top guns tame howling wind

CANLUBANG — Cassius Casas, Mars Pucay and Benjie Magada all fired one-under 71s — the best that the cream of the country’s pro crop could dish out in buffeting winds as they shared first round lead in the cash-rich Don Pocholo Razon Memorial Invitational tournament at The Country Club golf course here yesterday.

Galeforce winds bedevilled the games of the star-studded field as the untested par-72 layout showed its fangs and proved to be too tough a challenge for the men of the tour who are in fact coming off a series of tournaments on the local circuit.

Casas blew a three-under card as he sputtered coming home with two bogeys on the last three holes, the same fate that befell on Pucay, who dropped two strokes in a six-hole stretch when all seemed going for the soft-spoken pro after birdying the par-3 17th.

"Ang hirap mag-putt dahil dadalhin ka talaga ng hangin, pati na yung bola mo," rued Casas, who sizzled with four birdies at the front but bogeyed three of his last nine holes. He had nines of 33-38.

In contrast, the wiry Magada rolled in a couple of birdies on the last four holes to compensate for a double-bogey mishap on the testy par-4 No. 4 and salvage a round of 36-35 in this event which offers P1 million to the winner.

The troika, who incidentally are holders of two leg victories in the First Gentleman’s Golf Circuit, stood a shot better than the six-man group of even par scorers, while the rest of the 39 starting pros, including the eminent Frankie Miñoza, fumbled with over-par scorers that best typified the struggle made by the field under difficult playing condition.

Gerald Rosales, playing with utmost confidence after finishing joint ninth in the tough Malaysian Masters last Sunday, came out of spewing fire and birdied three of the first five holes at the back, the frontside of his game yesterday. But the former Philippine Open champion lost his rhythm, bogeying four of the next nine holes in what he attributed to his unfamiliarity with the course.

"I never played this course before and I missed the practice round yesterday," said Rosales, who arrived Monday after pocketing P1.1 million for finishing in the top 10 last week in Kuala Lumpur.

Miñoza opened his bid in this P3.5 million tournament, staged to honor the memory of Don Pocholo Razon, founder of the country’s top ports management company, with a birdie. But that was all that could be heard of the country’s No. 1 shotmaker as he fumbled with bogeys — four in a seven-hole stretch. Worse, he made a couple of double-bogeys on Nos. 4 and 7 to turn in rounds of 42-37 for a 79.

He found himself tied for 32nd place in a field of 40.

"Maganda naman ang palo, solid ang patama. Masama lang ang putting," said Miñoza, 42, who had two three-putts in the day.

Cookie La’O matched Rosales even par card, the same output put in by Rodofo Cuello, Danny delos Santos, Angelo Que and Antonio Lascuna, who had a different sob story to tell in an eventful day graced by the last-minute entry of First Gentleman Mike Arroyo in the accompanying pro-am event.

The dusky Cangolf pro accidentally twisted the clubface of his driver while pulling it out of his bag and instead settled for a 3-wood throughout the day. Still he had an imposting 3-under card after nine holes, but sorely missed his driver at the backside when the wind was at its worst and when he needed the length to set up birdie chances.

He double-bogeyed No. 15 and holed out with a missed-green bogey for a 33-39 card.

Robert Pactolerin and Edgar Ababa both had 73s while Richard Sinfuego, the winningest player with three victories on the tour, led the 74 scorers.