Ramos recovers late to save 71, trails by 5 at Asian Development Tour Morocco
MANILA, Philippines — Sean Ramos scrambled to a frontside finish, salvaging a one-under 71 to sit five strokes behind leader Hoho Yue of Hong Kong after the opening round of the Morocco Rising Stars on Thursday (Friday Manila time).
Playing at the Mazagan Beach and Golf Resort, Ramos overcame a three-bogey round with four birdies, the last on the par-5 seventh hole halting an impending skid after back-to-back bogeys, allowing him to card a 36-35 and claim a share of 27th place in the Asian Development Tour (ADT) event.
Starting on the back nine of the par-72 layout, Ramos — fresh off a strong fourth-place finish at last week's ICTSI Caliraya Springs Championship — stumbled early with a bogey on No. 11. However, he bounced back with consecutive birdies from No. 15. Another birdie on the first hole raised hopes for a roaring finish, but the Filipino ace stumbled again with consecutive bogeys on the fifth and sixth.
But his late birdie on the seventh rescued the round, keeping him within striking distance in the 72-hole tournament.
Filipino golfers have a strong history at this event — Aidric Chan claimed the title last year at Samanah Golf Club, while his cousin, Carl Corpus, won the subsequent Rising Stars tournament at Maaden Golf Resorts to complete a rare Philippine sweep on the ADT.
This year, however, Corpus struggled, carding a three-over 75, marred by a double-bogey on the par-5 18th, to drop to 81st place and in danger of missing the cut.
Meanwhile, Chan withdrew from the tournament before hitting his opening tee shot on No. 1.
At the top of the leaderboard, Yue flashed brilliant form, highlighting his round with an eagle on No. 7 to card a six-under 66. He holds a slim one-stroke lead over American Nathan Han (67), with Thailand's Runchanapong Youprayong lurking closely behind after a 68.
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