Pagunsan, Ramos stay in hunt in Phuket

MANILA, Philippines — Former Asian Tour No. 1 Juvic Pagunsan emerged as the top Filipino contender after a rain-delayed first round of the Phuket Open, carding a steady three-under-par 67 to tie for 12th place, six strokes behind Thailand’s Suradit Yongcharoenchai, who fired a sensational nine-under 61 at the Laguna Golf Phuket.

Play was suspended late Thursday due to darkness following several weather interruptions, forcing Pagunsan and the rest of the field to complete their opening rounds early Friday morning. Despite the interruptions, the seasoned Filipino veteran showed composure and precision, stringing together a run of pars on the front nine and capping his round with a birdie on the par-5 ninth.

Pagunsan started strongly with birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 after beginning his round on the back nine. A lone bogey on the par-4 12th momentarily disrupted his rhythm, but he recovered well, making eight pars and birdieing the 18th before the suspension of play. Upon resumption, he added another birdie on the ninth to complete a 33-34 effort at the par-70 layout.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s Yongcharoenchai stole the spotlight with a blistering round that included nine birdies against a lone bogey on the first hole. He quickly rebounded from that early mistake, reeling off birdies on nine of the next twelve holes, including a four-birdie stretch starting at No. 10, giving him a commanding three-shot lead.

Trailing the Thai leader are Australians Darcy Brereton and Sarut Vongchaisit of Thailand, both at 64, while Charng Tai Sudsom sits in solo fourth with a 65.

Among the other Filipino campaigners, Sean Ramos turned in a 68, highlighted by a pitch-in eagle on the par-4 third and three birdies. However, three bogeys prevented him from climbing higher, and he currently sits in a tie for 21st.

Aidric Chan, who is looking to build on his breakthrough win in the previous Asian Development Tour leg in Vietnam, delivered a rollercoaster round of 70 marked by three birdies and three bogeys.

He shared 53rd place with several others, including his cousin Carl Corpus, who had five birdies but was undone by three bogeys and a costly double bogey.

Veteran Angelo Que, a three-time Asian Tour winner and champion of the first two legs of the Philippine Golf Tour this season, struggled with consistency. His round was marred by six bogeys against just two birdies, resulting in a disappointing 74.

Que now faces an uphill battle to make the cut in the THB-4 million, 72-hole championship sanctioned by the Asian Development Tour.