Asian Games bronze medalist Bianca Pagdanganan put on a late charge to match par 68 while Jed Dy survived a wobbly finish with a 72 as the duo assembled a 140 in aggregate play to grab a one-stroke lead over Jet Hernandez and Josh Jorge in the second day of the National Doubles Amateur Golf Championship at the Camp Aguinaldo Golf Club in QC yesterday.
Pagdanganan, member of the gold medal team in the recent Asian Games in Jakarta, recovered from a two-over 37 start with a closing 31 at the par 35-33 layout to cushion the impact of Dy’s wavering windup of 38 after a one-under card at the front in Group I play.
Counting their 63 in four-ball Thursday, Pagdanganan and Dy pooled a 203 total, one shot ahead of the erstwhile leaders, who turned in a 143 with Hernandez shooting a 70 and Jorge hobbling with a 73, for a 204 in the event also serving as part of the field’s buildup for the 2019 Philippine Amateur Open Golf Championship slated Jan. 3-6 at Riviera’s Langer course in Silang, Cavite.
Sean Ramos and Gabby Macalaguim blew an impressive frontside game with a shaky finish with the former settling for a 70 and the latter winding up with a 71. Ramos had a 33 while Macalaguim carded a 36 as they pressed their bid after nine holes, only to stumble with 37 and 35, respectively. But with their 141, they stayed in the title hunt at 206 in a tie with Ryan Monsalve, who also made a 70, and Lanz Uy, who shot a 72, for a 142.
With last year’s winner Don Petil and new partner JR Salahug, Paqo Barro and Jeff Jung, and Kristine Torralba and Santino Laurel falling seven shots off the pace with 210s, the chase for top honors in the season-ending tournament of the National Golf Association of the Philippines could be reduced to the four teams heading to the deciding two-ball foursomes or alternate shot format today.
Despite her strong finish, Pagdanganan rued her poor stint on the greens but credited Dy’s awesome putting touch.
“As a team we played really good but I’m a bit disappointed because I missed a lot of birdie chances. Good thing Jed was very steady with his putting,” said Pagdangangan, also a former Philippine Ladies Amateur Open champion.
Petil, meanwhile, carded a 70 while Salahug made a 71 for 141, Jung also came up with a up but Barro settled for a 72 for 142, while Torralba fired a 69 but Laurel limped with a 76 for 145.
Mandfred Guangko also shot a 69 but sibling David made a 71 for a 141 and a 211 while Sam Martirez (77) and Diana Araneta (71) stood way behind at 217 after a 148.
Meanwhile, Miguel Roque carded a 74 while Santino Diokno had an 83 for a 157 as they surged ahead at 229 in Group II, dropping erstwhile pacesetters Rafael Rivera (79) and Ciaran O’Driscoll (86) to second at 235 after a 165.
Louie Aguinaldo and Beleran Col, on the other hand, pulled away in Group III after shooting identical 74s for 148 and a 216, eight shots ahead of Mon Capistrano (75) and Vic Se (77), who had a 224 after a 157.”‹
