Aunzo one shot behind in Indon Am

Ferdie Aunzo made a tap-in birdie on the 18th to fire a two-under par 70 and move within one stroke of Indonesian Andik Mauludin halfway through the Indonesian Amateur Open at the Imperial Klub Golf in Indonesia yesterday.

Aunzo came through with back-to-back birdies inside eight feet from No. 4, went three-under with another pin-length birdie on the 12th before losing his touch with missed-green bogeys on Nos. 14 and 17.

But the top ICTSI bet regained his bearing and knocked down a superb approach shot on the 18th for easy birdie to turn in the day’s best score of 34-36 as the rest of the field struggled under tough playing conditions at the tight par-72 layout.

Four down at the start of the round with a 71, the reigning RP amateur winner assembled a 36-hole haul of 141 and found himself a stroke behind Mauludin, who fumbled with a one-over 73 after a solid 67 Wednesday for a 140.

That set the stage for a shootout in the final two rounds between Mauludin and Aunzo as Arya Kamsuri stood too far behind in third at 148 after a second straight 74.

World Am veteran Jerson Balasabas, playing out of Calatagan, hardly improved with a 77 from an 81 for a 158 while the other ICTSI bets also struggled, with Sonny Villaber at 164 after an 83 and Anthony Saban at 165 after an 84.

Over in China, Rufino Bayron and Dante Becierra shot identical 76s for 154, 11 strokes off Chinese Ye Jian-feng, who matched par 72 to seize the lead with a 143 at the halfway mark of the China Amateur at the Nanhai Peach Garden Golf Club in Foshan City, Guangzhou yesterday.

Brent Sumampong skied to an 82 and slid to 39th with a 160.