Flawless Zaragosa surges to big 4-shot edge

CANLUBANG, Philippines – Rupert Zaragosa moved past Brian Kim with another flawless round – a five-under 67 that put the diminutive shotmaker four strokes ahead and closer to a second straight championship in the WExpress-DHL RVF Cup Amateur Golf Championship at Cangolf’s North course here yesterday.

Finally ranged against two-day leader Kim, Zaragosa ran his tall Korean rival to the ground with solid shotmaking and iron play and buried birdies from as far as 20 feet (Nos. 4 and 8) to seize control. He then turned an errant pitch on the 17th fringe into a huge par-saving feat to complete a 33-34 card and remain without a bogey the last 36 holes.

“Putting has been great so far,” said Zaragosa, who trailed by one in the first two days but now four shots ahead at 10-under 206 as Kim slowed down with a 72-210 after a 70 and 68 heading to the last 18 holes of the 20th staging of the annual event sponsored by WExpress and DHL and held as part of the PLDT Group’s National Amateur Golf Tour.

Zaragosa actually looked headed for a sixth birdie on the par-5 17th but he hit a poor pitch off the fringe, the ball going past the hole and into the bunker. But he blasted to within four feet to save par.

“I didn’t want that bogey so I pushed myself hard to make that par,” said Zaragosa, who came from behind to nip now pro Andres Saldana in last year’s finale.

Impressive in the first two rounds, Kim found the going tough against Zaragosa and compatriot Park Min Ung early, bogeying No. 1. Though he recovered the stroke on the next, the Eagle Ridge mainstay settled for a run of pars while watching Zaragosa pick up birdies on Nos. 4, 5 and 8 to fall behind.

It was more of the same at the back with Zaragosa sustaining his form and gunning down two more on Nos. 10 and 16 and Kim failing to get going with two birdies against the same number of bogeys.

“No good today (yesterday),” said Kim.

Park, who kept Zaragosa within sight with a 71 and 69, birdied two of the last six holes but could only match Kim’s 72 as he dropped six strokes off Zaragosa at 212.

Justin Quiban, who stood just four shots off the pace halfway through, hobbled with a 74 and fell 10 shots behind at 216 while Korean Ji Hyok Chung carded a 73 for a 219 and Yuma Ohno of Japan stood at 222 after a 71.

Wei Wei Gao also shot a 71, Carlo Villaroman made a 74, Kristoffer Arevalo struggled with a 75, and Raymart Tolentino skied to a 77 as they pooled similar 223s.

Korea’s Choi Ve-rim also moved closer to the ladies crown on her very first try despite slowing down with a 71 after a 67. With a 138, she remained three shot up on Bianca Pagdanganan, who shot a 69 for a 141 while Annika Cedo matched par 72 for a 146 in a tie with Felicia Medalla, who stumbled with a 74.

Choi, the 17-year-old bet from Riviera, birdied two of the first five holes at the back where she teed off to threaten to pull away but wavered at the finish at the front, losing three holes in the last two holes, including a double-bogey six on the eighth and a wet bogey on the ninth.