Bibat stuns Cangolf bets, leads by two

Manila Southwoods’ Michael Bibat upstaged the home bets by firing the day’s best score of four-under par 68 yesterday as he seized a two-stroke lead over Jay Bayron of Cangolf and Jong Laput of Forest Hills in the first round of the fourth Canlubang Amateur Open Golf Championships yesterday at the south course of the Canlubang golf complex in Laguna.

Bibat rammed six birdies to spike a 35-33 card as he found himself leading the Southwoods’ bid here in the absence of reigning back-to-back national champion Jerome Delariarte, who opted to skip this event following an exhausting campaign in The Spirit International Amateur Championship in the US over the weekend.

Juvic Pagunsan, who teamed up with Delariarte to steer the Philippines to a seventh place finish in the men’s competition of The Spirit, arrived in time to spearhead the Cangolf bets’ charge here. But the rigors of the tough rounds abroad and the long journey have apparently taken their toll on the RP team mainstay, who struggled with a 73.

But Bayron proved up to task, stringing nines of 36-34 to catch Laput, who had 34-36, in second even as another Southwoods’ bet Gene Bondoc and Boyet Saragoza, also of Cangolf, fired identical 71s to share fourth place.

Joining Pagunsan in sixth with one-over card at the hazard-laden layout were teammate Jun Bernis and Southwoods’ Hanson So, while Royal Northwoods’ Kim Chang Hoi and Dave Hernanndez, also of Canlubang, each had 74.

Unlike Pagunsan and company, club bet Lina de Guzman made an early surge in the distaff side as she sizzled with a 67 on a 33-34 card for a whopping nine-stroke lead over Anya Tanpinco of Bacolod in the 54-hole tournament sponsored by SEAMECOR, Schering Plough Corp., DOTC Secretary Gen. Leandro Mendoza, Robert Bosch, Inc., Century Park Hotel, Raoul Jorge and Darly de Roca.

Tanpinco limped home with a 76 behind a 38-38 card while Park Soo-mi of Pamplona Plantation stood a shot back at 77 and Remjin Camping of Riviera carded a 78.

Meanwhile, the organizing Cangolf announced a handicap 36-hole competition for men and women will be held starting tomorrow with the gross, net, first and second runners-up honors staked in classes in A, B, C and D on tap.

For details, please contact Fely Anillo or Darly Patalot at Cangolf office — (049) 549-1362 or (049) 549-7201; Cangolf Makati office — 890-9321 or 897-6887.