ILOILO – Playing 18 holes in a bowtie under the sweltering heat of an exacting golf course is hardly the ideal recipe for a breakthrough.
Yet Miki Ryoma did just that on Wednesday, shrugging off the discomfort – and seemingly everything else the Iloilo Golf and Country Club threw at him – to fire a near-flawless 66 and emerge as the leader halfway through the ICTSI Iloilo Golf Challenge.
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The 35-year-old Japanese kept his cool in conditions that tested patience and precision, matching the aggressive charge of a slew of local aces before pulling ahead by one with a six-under 134, one stroke ahead of first-round leader Jhonnel Ababa.
“I hit all fairways, reached all greens and made five birdies against one bogey,” said the amiable Ryoma, whose assessment underscored the key to surviving the par-70 layout: “The most important thing on this course is the tee shot.”
“I didn’t play steady in the first round but hit it solid today. But you really have to be in the fairway to get a chance to make birdies,” said Ryoma, a Saitama native whose closest brush with a Philippine Golf Tour title came in his rookie campaign in 2016, when he lost to Tony Lascuña by one at Eagle Ridge.
A decade later, after a string of underwhelming finishes, Ryoma suddenly found himself just 36 holes away from the PGT crown that has eluded him.
Ababa, the opening-round leader, slipped to second at 135 after a 68.
“Sobrang hirap ng course at sobrang init. Hindi mo talaga masasabi kung gaganda ang score mo sa isang araw,” said Ababa, acknowledging the challenges and test that await each bidder in the P2.5 million championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, inc.
Ira Alido made the biggest move of the day, turning in a fiery 65 to charge into contention at 136. After a bogey on No. 2, Alido caught fire, making six birdies over the next 16 holes to share third with fellow bemedalled campaigners Reymon Jaraula and Clyde Mondilla.
Jaraula and Mondilla had both been part of a four-way tie for the lead midway through the day but stumbled in the stretch. Jaraula suffered a double bogey on No. 13 and another bogey before checking the slide with a birdie on the 17th, salvaging another 68.
Art Arbole, meanwhile, continued his bid to build on last week's breakthrough in Negros Occidental, where he ended a 14-year wait for a PGT title. He was four-under with two holes left to play from No. 10 and appeared headed to pull within a stroke of Ryoma, only to bogey the eighth and scramble for par on the last for a 67.
Still, the round moved him to 137, just three shots off the pace, alongside Francis Morilla and Rupert Zaragosa, who carded 67 and 69, respectively.
Young Kristoffer Arevalo shot a 67 to lead the 138 scorers, joined by James Ryan Lam, Jeffren Lumbo and Lakewood leg winner Justin Quiban.
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