Austria takes charge with 72 at Luisita

MANILA, Philippines — Jonar Austria wobbled at the finish but salvaged an even par 72 and kept a one-stroke lead over titleholder Sean Ramos and Brunei’s AK MD Syakir at the start of the NGAP Northern Luzon Regional Golf Championship yesterday at the Luisita Golf and Country Club in Tarlac.

Austria showed up the field with a two-birdie, one-bogey 35 start and went three-up over Ramos and Syakir with another birdie on the par-5 12th. But the 25-year-old shotmaker, a former jungolfer, dropped a stroke on the last par-5 (No. 16) and bogeyed the difficult, long, water-laced par-3 17th to close out with a 37.

But his 72 proved enough to put him in the lead in the early going of the 54-hole championship organized and conducted by the National Golf Association of the Philippines as Ramos also bogeyed Luisita’s signature hole for a 73.

Syakir bounced back from a two-over card with a birdie on the par-3 13th then parred the rest to match the defending champion’s 37-36 card.

Coby Rolida, Paolo Barro and Korean Tae Won Ha submitted identical 74s while Dan Cruz, winner of the recent Cangolf Am Open, settled down with a closing 36 after a 39 for a 75 for joint seventh with Andres Lorenzo, ensuring a fierce battle in the last two days of the event sponsored by the MVP Sports Foundation, Cignal and Metro Pacific Investments and serving as part of PLDT Group National Amateur Tour.

Laurea Duque bogeyed No. 16 and signed for a 73 to seize a one-stroke lead over Sophia Blanco in women’s Elite side with last year’s winner Kim Seo Yun of Korea struggling with a 77 and another Korean Hee Yeon Bang turning in a 78.

Rianne Malixi, winner of two NGAP tournaments this year – the Philippine Junior Amateur Open and the Phl Amateur Open Match Play, failed to recover from a 39 start and limped with a 79 with Kayla Nocum also groping for form with an 80.