CARMONA - Executing a calculated game plan to near-perfection, Kiwi Nick Voke gunned down six birdies to shoot a five-under-par 65 and lead Nopparat Panichphol of Thailand by a shot after the opening round of the 108th Philippine Open at Manila Southwoods' Masters course.
A multiple leg winner on the China Tour, Voke failed to save par from the 12th greenside bunker for the only blemish in a 31-34 effort as the Auckland-born 32-year-old made the most out of relatively calmer conditions in the morning session like Panichphol, whose only dropped shot also came on the par-4 12th.
"Mostly 3-woods to find the fairways and put the ball in play," Voke said when asked of his mindset as he kept the driver in the bag as much as he can to give himself the best chance of avoiding the tall roughs. "It worked, obviously. I'm very happy of how it turned out because it was a very tricky day."
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Justin Quiban was the only Filipino to crack par, rescuing a 69 with an eight-foot putt for birdie on No. 8 - his 17th hole - to be just four shots off the lead. Carl Corpus and Lloyd Go had contrasting versions of level 70s to be another stroke behind in the $1 million event presented by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
"It was very difficult out there today," Quiban, who dropped his last shot on No. 6 after missing the green, told reporters after playing his final nine holes at 33. He had a double bogey 6 on the 16th and worked to get to one-under after picking up shots on Nos. 1 and 2, only to miss the sixth green which led to his second bogey of the day.
Former Order of Merit winner Andy Ogletree and crowd favorite Kevin Na led a five-man pack that fired 67s, with the American Na giving out a show on the par-5 18th when he almost holed a long blast from the front bunker which led to a birdie.
Pavit Tangkamolprasert, who leads the OOM derby that will grant a DP World Tour slot to the No. 1, was one of three Thais that fired 68s to be tied with South Korea's Taehoon Ok, even as Micah Shin, the Korean-American who grew up in Davao and learned the game at Apo Golf, was in the group of Quiban also after birdieing the eighth.
Corpus, who represented the country well at the last Asian Games in Japan, failed to sustain a hot start as bogeys on the 12th and 13th holes had him throwing away a two-under card that was flawless until after the tricky 11th hole.
"I will still stick to my game plan (despite being five strokes down)," Corpus told reporters. "There were several mistakes, especially on No. 12 when I overshot the green."
Go, on the other hand, needed to birdie the 18th to submit his 70, even as Enrique Dimayuga, Elee Bisera and Reymon Jaraula accounted for 71s to be solidly in the mix.
The day didn't go quite well for two touted local aces in Clyde Mondilla and Angelo Que, who struggled early.
Que, the 2008 champion at Wack Wack East, double bogeyed the sixth and went on to shoot a 75, while Mondilla, another former winner, fired a 76. Both would need low second round scores to make weekend play and keep alive chances of a second win.
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