Mizuno golfers stay hot in cold Baguio

MANILA, Philippines — X1R-Mizuno bucked the odds at the difficult Baguio Country Club course and came away with a 103 to virtually secure the Fil-A crown with a whopping 27-point lead over Che’Lus I in the 70th Fil-Am Invitational golf tournament in Baguio yesterday.

Gab Macalaguim scored 28 points at the tight, up-and-down par-61 BCC while Brixton Aw backed him up 27 points and Ace Stehmeier chipped in 24 points with either Justin Tambunting and King Stehmeier’s 23 points counting for the team’s output for a 54-hole total of 356.

Che’Lus I drew 30 points from Ray Blas and 27 markers from Mike Castro but Jess Quenga and Warren Pelletier could only come up with 21 and 20 points, respectively, to finish with a 98 and a 329.

Uragun actually turned in the day’s second best score of 101 to move to third while crowding Che’Lus I for No. 2 with a 327 with Team Surigao I groping for 81 to drop to fourth at 318.

Over at Camp John Hay, Jaime Beech and Noel Beleran shot 34 points apiece as Philippine Navy Sunrisers assembled a 124 and stretched its overnight one-point lead to nine over Benlife-Producers Bank with a 322 aggregate in Am A division.

Mario Pagunsan and Edgar Barroga added 31 and 25, respectively for Navy.

Benlife shot 115 points built around Robert Barretto’s 32 points for a 313 while the Greenwater Golfers turned in a 113 for a 297.

Meanwhile, defending champion Manila Southwoods resumes its seven-peat quest tomorrow at the BCC course.