Mondilla seizes 2-shot lead as Balasabas fades

CANLUBANG, Philippines – Clyde Mondilla took a crack at redemption as he battled back from six shots down to move ahead with a bogey-less five-under 67, snatching a two-shot lead over a skidding Jessie Balasabas, a charging Arnold Villacencio and a steady Cassius Casas in the third round of the P1.5 million ICTSI Canlubang Golf Invitational here yesterday.

Mondilla used an impeccable iron game and bucked the unpredictable putting surface of Cangolf’s North with solid putting to gun down five birdies and sneak into the lead at 10-under 206, moving 18 holes away from scoring a breakthrough win in the very same event which he lost in a two-hole playoff to Casas last year.

“I’ll do my best to win a first championship here after a couple of losses in playoff. In fact, in the last leg at ICTSI Summit, I should have won the tournament by one if not for the penalty I incurred (for violating a rule on use of umbrella). Hopefully I’ll pull through tomorrow (today) but I have to stay focused,” said Mondilla in Pilipino.

The three others at 208 also stressed the need to toughen up mentally with Villacencio reviving his hopes for back-to-back win with an eagle-spiked 65 after a horrendous 76 start, Casas keeping his title-retention bid alive with a second 70 and Balasabas still hanging tough despite blowing a five-stroke lead over Casas and two others with a three-over 75.
Despite up by two, Mondilla braces for a rough and tough last 18 holes with Casas to hound him again in the championship flight with Villacencio joining them, raring to sustain his fiery third round charge and fuel his bid for a second straight championship after nipping Miguel Tabuena in a playoff at ICTSI Summit Point in Batangas two weeks ago.

“I paid the price for messing up with my shots in the opening round. That was a good lesson learned. Just maintain focus in the fourth round, where I am targeting another seven-under, and I’ll be good,” said Villacencio, who reached the par 5, 563-yard No. 2 in two and tapped in for eagle and drilled in seven birdies against two bogeys.

Despite his four-birdie, two-bogey round, Casas kept himself in the mix with the veteran shotmaker confident of his chances to become the first player this year to retain the crown in the circuit sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc.

“There’s no holding back, everybody is trying to catch up. This is going to be a great final round. I like my chances and anybody can win,” said Casas, adding that a four- or five-under card will be enough to bag the crown and the top purse of P270,000 in the event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

The touch that previously catapulted Balasabas to bogey-free rounds of 66 and 67 abandoned him in the third round.

“My putting was awful. I had 35 putts today,” said Balasabas, ruing how he bungled putts inside three feet six times.

“But it’s still winnable. Everybody in the Top 10 can actually turn it around tomorrow. If I can hit and putt well, I feel I have a good chance,” he added.

Marvin Dumandan rallied with a 68 but stood four shots off Mondilla at 210 in a tie with ICTSI Royal Northwoods champion Zanie Boy Gialon, who carded a 70, ICTSI Sherwood Hills winner Charles Hong, who fired a 71, and erstwhile joint second running Dante Becierra, who matched par 72.

Robert Pactolerin and Japanese amateur Yuto Katsuragaw both shot 69s and tied Jhonnel Ababa, who had a 72, at 211 while Fil-German Keanu Jahns sputtered with a 76 and tumbled from joint second to a share of 14th at 214 behind Micah Shin’s 69-212 and Michael Bibat’s 68-213.

Six shots at the start of the day, Mondilla hardly moved up with one birdie at the front in the second-to-last flight but charged into the lead with four birdies, including three straight from No.14, in the last seven holes as Balasabas wavered with poor putting.

Five flights behind, Villacencio worked his way up early with an eagle on No. 2 then added four more birdies to make the turn with a solid 30. He went seven-under with another birdie on No. 10, reeled back with back-to-back bogeys from No. 12 before birdying two of the last five for that 65.

Casas had a so-so one-birdie, one-bogey stint after nine holes but fired three birdies in the last five to negate a missed-green bogey on No. 16 to turn in another two-under card and stay in the title race in the event backed by Nike Golf, Pacsports Phils. Inc., Srixon, Callaway, Mizuno, Empire Golf, Footjoy, Titleist, Custom Clubmakers, Sharp, KZG and Rudy Project.