RP golfers falter in Taiwan Am

Gene Bondoc and company succumbed to tough playing conditions at the wind-raked Sunrise Golf Club, fumbling with fat scores and tumbling down the leaderboard in the second round of the Acer International Amateur Golf Tournament in Taiwan yesterday.

Bondoc, who started the day in joint 12th after an opening round of 73, skied to an 80 in a round marred by five bogeys and two double bogeys with only a birdie to show as he dropped to a share of 23rd place at 153, 13 strokes off new leader Kris Wasylowiche of Canada.

That was the same output put in by Miko Alejandro, whose six over par 78 proved to be the best score among the six Filipinos seeing action in this four-day tournament, which featured the top players from Korea, Australia and Taiwan gearing up for next month’s World Amateurs in South Africa.

Gene Bunyi, 16, who had a 79 in the first round, continued to struggle and made a woeful 92 for a 171.

"It’s a monster course, too long with tight fairways and too many ravines. Worse, the wind blew from all over yesterday and they had a difficult time choosing their clubs," said coach Nestor Mendoza of the six-man RP delegation, members of the pool of talents training under the ICTSI golf program.

Wasylowiche, however, made the course look easy as he fired a four-under 68 for a 140 to seize a one stroke lead over Taiwanese Huang Tao, who had a 141 after a 70. First day leader Chen Zhi Chiang, also of Taiwan, also faltered with a 75 and slid to fourth with a 143, one shot behind compatriot Chien Yao Hung, who had a 73 and a 142.