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    Guido Van der Valk winds up three strokes clear at windy TCC

    Guido Van der Valk winds up on top at windy TCC
    Mar 4, 2020

    GUIDO Van der Valk fired a 71 for a three-stroke lead after the first round of The Country Club Invitational on Wednesday at the TCC course in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

    Trading length for accuracy on a long, treacherous course, the Manila-based Dutchman came up with solid iron approaches that produced birdies on Nos. 2 and 8, both par-5s. But he bogeyed the two par-3s on the back nine, including the long No. 11 when the wind was at its fiercest, and the signature No. 17 on a three-putt miscue that negated his other birdie from 10 feet on No. 13.

    Still, his 34-37 stood out in hot, blustery conditions at the 7765-yard course.

    Ira Alido was second, firing a 74 with a double-bogey and three bogeys against three birdies.


    “You never expect to shoot under-par on this course … it’s just so long and I don’t think any golf course comes close anywhere I had played, so you have to grind it out,” said the 40-year-old Van der Valk.

    Tony Lascuña, TCC champion in 2004, had a double-bogey mishap on the water-laced 18th, regarded as one of the toughest closing holes in Asia, and wound up joint third at 75 with Ferdie Aunzo, Jay Bayron, Zanieboy Gialon and Rupert Zaragosa.

    Albin Engino also yielded a stroke on No. 17 while American Lexus Keoninh bogeyed Nos. 14 and 15 that typified the elite field’s struggle on the Tom Weiskoph-designed course. They wound up with identical 76s.

    Frankie Miñoza, the only other former winner in the field made up of the Top 30 players in last year’s PGT Order of Merit, had two double bogeys and two bogeys against a birdie but still lay just six strokes off Van der Valk at 77 in a tie with fellow Del Monte ace Clyde Mondilla.

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    Winner here with a two-over total in last year’s Solaire Philippine Open, Mondilla looked headed for a strong start with two birdies against a bogey in the first seven holes, but he closed out his frontside stint with back-to-back bogeys.

    Mondilla birdied the par-5 10th to stay at level par but came in ruffled by the wind, dropping strokes on Nos. 13 and 14, double-bogeying the 16th before holing out with another bogey for a 37-40.

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    The rest all vowed to come up with big adjustments in the second round to stay in the race for the top prize of P1.5 million from the P5 million pot in the golfing major put up by ICTSI president/chairman Ricky Razon in 2003 to honor the memory of his father, ICTSI founder Don Pocholo.

    Michael Bibat bogeyed two of the last four for a 78, the same output put in by Fidel Concepcion, Reymon Jaraula and Spain’s Marcos Pastor, while multi-titled Jhonnel Ababa also dropped three strokes in the last three holes, including a closing double-bogey, to fall to joint 16th at 79 with Art Arbole, Rufino Bayron, James Ryan Lam, Rene Menor, Gerald Rosales and Nilo Salahog.

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