Pagunsan struggles but pads lead to 3 strokes

SILANG, Cavite — Juvic Pagunsan slowed down with a one-over-par 73 after going birdie-less yesterday but still widened his lead to three strokes at the halfway point of the second Riviera Open amateur golf championship at the Couples course of the Riviera Golf and Country Club.

Pagunsan, who helped the Philippine team clinch a tie for fifth place in the Nomura Cup last week in Queensland, Australia last week, had 17 pars and bogey on the 11th across his card as he posted a 36-hole total of 142. He shot a 69 in the opening round.

Marvin Dumandan, the Riviera bet seen as the biggest threat to Pagunsan, matched the day-best 73 with five birdies of Pagunsan to tie Korean Lee Seong Ki for second spot at 145. Lee bogeyed the 18th for a three-over 75.

The fancied Jerome Delariarte failed to gain ground on his Monura Cup teammates as the back-to-back national amateur champ went bogey-double bogey on Nos. 6-7 en route to a 75. As the scores soared, however, Delariarte managed to move up to a share of fifth with Dave Hernandez (78) at 153 from 11th.

Philip Judan and Winocencio Quion emerged the first two winners of the tourney sponsored by Transnational Diversified Group, Wide Wide World Express, Mizuno, Pacsports and Handog Industrial Corp. when they topped the 36-hole battles in Class B and Class C, respectively.

Judan scored an 87-163 for a five-shot win over Roberto Rapadas (88-168). Judan goes for a rare double when he joins the seniors competition against a tough field led by club president Commodore Danny Pizarro starting today.

Quion survived a double-par on the last hole for an 89-184 and a two-shot win over Peter Nava (94-186).