ANTIPOLO – Reymon Jaraula blew past joint leaders Ira Alido and Angelo Que with a rare two-eagle feat for a brilliant 66 but had to endure a two hour-long wait before formally claiming a two-stroke lead midway through the ICTSI Valley Golf Challenge on Wednesday.
Lightning that struck just past noon forced the organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. to suspend play just minutes after Jaraula turned in a near-flawless 32-34 card marked by eagles on Nos. 7 and 17.
Nobody could catch him.
While Alido struck back from bogeys on Nos. 2 and 4 with birdies in the next two holes to get into 3-under for the day and seven-under overall, Que, who matched Alido’s first round 68 on a last-hole birdie, faded with a thud with bogeys on Nos. 4 and 6 before play was stopped.
Seven flights ahead, Jaraula was already on his way out of the Valley Golf Club, head held high, together with his confidence, after assembling a nine-under 135.
“I struggled with my putting early on and missed some putts. Although I recovered on some holes, I also failed to sink a couple of putts from short range,” said Jaraula in Filipino.
Alido finished with a 69 for a 137, two shots behind the new leader. The next two pursuers lay five strokes off the pace heading to the last 36 holes of the P2 million championship.
Korean Chon Koo Kang made bogey twice in the last four holes as he ended up with a 71 for joint third at 140 with Tony Lascuna, who put in a second straight 70, while Que, who had an even-par card with three holes to play, holed out with a bogey on the ninth and slipped farther back to joint fifth at 141 after a 73.
Joining him at three-under overall were Zanieboy Gialon, who matched par 72, and Korean Min Seong Kim, who fired a 69, and Japanese Atsushi Ueda, who blew a three-under card with a double-bogey on No. 15 and wrapped up his round with three straight pars for a 71.
Clyde Mondilla also made his move right before the suspension, overcoming bogeys on Nos. 5 and 6 with an eagle on the next on his way to a 69 after a 73 for a 142 in a tie with Philippine Masters champion Jhonnel Ababa, who carded a second 71, and Japanese Gen Nagai, who parred the last three holes at the back to complete a 70.
Lloyd Go, meanwhile, rebounded with a 69 to join six others at 12th at 143, including Fidel Concepcion, Keanu Jahns and Rico Depilo, who matched 70s, Korean Hyun Ho Rho and Dutch Guido van der Valk, who carded identical 71s, and Gabriel Manotoc, who birdied the last hole to save a 73 after a 70.
Forty two players made the cut at 150, including Carlos Packing (74), Korean Hwan Lee (75), Francis Morilla (76), Gerald Rosales (78) and Dino Villanueva (79), but Marvin Dumandan (75), Rolando Marabe Jr. (75), Sean Ramos (76), Elee Bisera (77) and Ferdie Aunzo (78) missed it by one.
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