Sumampong shares lead in Faldo Asia

MANILA, Philippines - Brent Sumampong holed out with back-to-back birdies to fire a two-under 70 and force a three-way tie for the lead at the start of the Faldo Series Asia Finals at the Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China late Wednesday.

The 19-year-old Sumampong, a mainstay of the ICTSI-The Country Club team, had a one-birdie, one-bogey stint at the front but picked up his game at the back with that solid finish, putting him alongside Malaysia’s Gavin Green and Taiwanese Chi Hsien Hsieh.

Green, the reigning Malaysian national champion, recovered from a double-bogey mishap on No. 17 with a closing birdie while Hsieh strung up nines of 35s as they shared the lead in the first round of the 54-hole tournament featuring some of the region’s top players in the 21-and-under ranks, including several leading junior golfers from Europe.

The troika stood two shots ahead of Thailand’s Thidapa Suwannapura and India’s S. Chikkarangappa, who both matched par 72s. Bino dela Paz, the other ICTSI-backed bet struggled with two 40s and was in joint 32nd with an 80 while Cebu’s Irina Gabasa and ICTSI-Cangolf’s Jobim Carlos turned in 82 and 87, respectively.

The winners of the event, including those in other age group divisions, will gain berths in the 2010 Faldo Series European Grand Final to be staged over the Faldo Course at the Lough Erne Resort, Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, on Sept. 21-23. The overall Asian champion will also be invited to play in a flagship event on the Asian Tour.