Quiban paces Phl Am classification with 69

DASMARIÑAS, Cavite , Philippines   â€“ National team member Justin Quiban shot a three-under-par 69 yesterday to lead the classification phase of the 2014 Philippine Amateur Match Play championship presented by the MVP Sports Foundation at the Orchard here.

Quiban was the only one to crack par on a demanding day at the world-class Palmer layout with Lanz Uy shooting a 73 to be in second and former champion Rupert Zaragosa assembling a 74 for third spot in the event backed by Pancake House, Golf Depot and Pacsports as part of the PLDT Group Amateur Tour.

Pamela Mariano set the pace in the women’s division with a 77, with the multi-titled Daniela Uy a shot back and Bianca Pagdanganan firing a 79 to keep within striking distance for top spot.

The second and final stroke play round will be played today with only the top 32 men and top 16 women advancing to the match play proper starting tomorrow.

Park Min-ung, the Korean expat who won the PH Junior Am last year, fired a 75 like the returning Tonlits Asistio with senior campaigner Eddie Bagtas, playing in his first individual event since reverting back to the ranks, shooting a 76 like Yuuto Katsarugawa of Japan and Niko Santiano.

None of the favored players were on the bubble after the first 18 holes, with the core of the PAL Interclub-winning Orchard squad all mired in the middle of the pack.

Gen Nagai, the Japanese who won the boys’ national title two weeks ago at Sherwood in Cavite, fired a 77 to lead a six-man group that included 13-14 world champion Kristopher Arevalo and former pro and Orchard GM Raymund Sangil.