ICTSI Palos Verdes golf tilt: Go, Ramos sizzle with 67s for opening-day lead

DAVAO – Under the scorching midday sun, Lloyd Go teed off with confidence, carding a solid five-under 67 in challenging, breezy conditions to catch Sean Ramos at the helm, one stroke ahead of Ira Alido at the start of the ICTSI Palos Verdes Championship at the Rancho Palos Verdes Golf and Country Club here Tuesday.

Fresh from their stints in the Lexus Challenge in Vietnam the previous week, Go and Ramos brought valuable lessons and momentum from the kickoff leg of the Asian Development Tour, contrasting with those who excelled in the Philippine Golf Tour’s inaugural leg at the tight Apo, also last week.

“It was windy and super-hot in Vietnam, so I kind of gotten used to it already,” said Go on the conditions, following a missed cut stint in Vietnam.

“I played very good out there, didn’t make any bogeys and made a lot of up-and-downs (for pars),” said the Cebuano ace, who highlighted his 35-32 round with a chip-in birdie on the par-3 17th that turned what could’ve been a bogey into a momentum-shifting moment.

“It could’ve been a bogey but chipped it in, so practically that’s a 2-shot swing,” he added.

Ramos, relying on his strong ball-striking skills, also made an impressive start, overcoming an early slip on No. 2 with four birdies in the next six holes. Further birdies on Nos. 12 and 14 propelled him to co-lead the stellar field in the P2 million championship sponsored by ICTSI.

“I think it (ADT stint) helped me because it showed that I still had a lot of things to work on,” said Ramos, who tied for 46th in the Lexus Challenge. “So, I think today, my swing was feeling better. My driving and iron game were really okay.”

As Go and Ramos aimed to maintain their momentum after matching career-best starts in the 72-hole tournament organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and supported by Kampfortis Golf, a slew of contenders lurked closely behind, ready to capitalize on any slip-ups.

Alido positioned himself strongly with a 68, featuring five birdies against a lone bogey, securing solo third. He credited his long game for his strong start and his wedges helped allow him to make crucial birdies throughout the round.

“Unlike last week, I used a lot of drivers, which was my strongest point. But the difference is in clubbing and holding a lot of wedges is also a strong part of my game,” said Alido.

Unheralded Emilio Panimdim, Jr., who tied for 23rd in the PGT Q-School at South Pacific and wound up 38th in Apo, crowded the fancied names atop the leaderboard with an eagle-birdie windup at the front, finishing tied with Alido with a four-under card.

Meanwhile, Reymond Jaraula recovered from a wobbly start to finish with a flurry of frontside birdies, carding a 69 to seize solo fifth, while Nelson Huerva, Korean Mingi Kim and Guido van der Valk, who lost in sudden death to Jhonnel Ababa in the Apo Golf Classic, shared sixth spot with 70s.

Jay Bayron also put himself in early contention after finishing tied for third with Tony Lascuña at Apo, shooting a 70 for joint ninth with Russel Bautista, Paul Echavez, Albin Engino, Keanu Jahns and Dino Villanueva.

However, several top performers from the Apo leg struggled to adapt to the challenges posed by the rolling Rancho Palos Verdes layout, including winner Jhonnel Ababa, who faced difficulties and posted higher scores.

“I had a bad start, made a double bogey on No. 1 and I struggled with my irons throughout,” rued Ababa, who ended up with a 76 and in danger of missing the 40 and ties cut at joint 41st, which includes Clyde Mondilla, Arnold Villacencio, Magno Arancon, Jr. and Rico Depilo.

Still, a mix of challenges remained in the hunt, including Angelo Que, who is also back from an International Series campaign in Macau. The three-time Asian Tour winner and many-time PGT and PGT Asia winner gunned down four birdies but fumbled with two bogeys and a double bogey for a 72 for joint 15th with Q-School topnotcher Aidric Chan, Michael Bibat, Marvin Dumandan, Ivan Monsalve, Art Arbole, Randy Garalde and Francis Morilla.

Lascuña struggled with a 73 for a share of 23rd with Elee Bisera, Fidel Concepcion, Japanese Koji Inoue, Edmar Salvador, Jr. and Rupert Zaragosa, while rookie Ryan Monsalve, who placed a strong fifth at Apo, slowed down with a 74 for solo 29th.