Lubao, Pampanga—Andreas Gronkvist put on a kind of finish that wins big-time championships but the Swede had to settle for the first round honors with a six-under 66 and a one-stroke over Thai Piya Swangarunporn in the $100,000 ICTSI Pradera Verde Classic here yesterday.
A birdie-eagle windup in windy condition checked a rollercoaster backside and netted a course record for the 27-year-old Gronkvist, who was just as surprised as the rest of the field to emerge the leader following a number of missed cut stints in the second season of the Philippine Golf Tour Asia.
“Great game. I managed the wind very well with my driver and irons,” said Gronkvist, who failed to advance at Riviera, Forest Hills and Summit Points stops of the region’s newest circuit put up by ICTSI while ending up tied for 27th at the CAT Open and 49th at Southwoods.
He also missed the cut by one in the recent Qualifying School Final Stage in Thailand.
But he turned in a solid start of 33 at the flat but challenging layout then came out of a pair of bogey-birdie stints on Nos. 11 and 15 with a birdie on the 17th before closing out with an eagle off a superb rescue shot from 235 yards that sailed over the water hazard guarding the green then drilled in a bending downhill putt from pin-length high.
Despite Gronkvist’s stirring start, a slew of players stayed within striking distance with Swangarunporn bouncing back from a bogey mishap on No. 3 with four straight birdies from No. 5 then eagled the par-5 12th to seize solo second with a 67 to take the cudgels for a Thai side seeking its first PGTA championship.
Jhonnel Ababa, who ruled the inaugural Pradera Classic last year via a two-shot win over Andrew Campbell, who set the previous mark of 67 in the final round, also banked on a fiery finish to get into the early mix, birdying three of the last seven holes for a 68 for joint third with Clayton Bridges of Australia while American Sam Gillis stood at solo fifth with a 69 on three birdies in the first four holes at the back.
“I struggled early on wrong clubbing but settled down at back and birdied Nos. 12, 14 and 16,” said Ababa, the winningest player on the circuit with three victories, including romps at Eagle Ridge and Forest Hills.
Bridges actually dished out a scorching backside start that featured an eagle and four birdies but failed to sustain his charge with bogeys on Nos. 4 and 6 to drop to joint third with the defending champion.
Keanu Jahns and Tony Lascuña birdied the last two holes to card a pair of 70s for joint fifth with Korean Park Jun Hyeok, American Lexus Keoninh, Taiwanese Wang Tsung Chieh and Mars Pucay while Clyde Mondilla bogeyed No. 18 for a 71 to slip to joint 12th with Zanieboy Gialon, Rey Pagunsan and Enrico Gallardo.
PGTA Southwoods leg champion Jay Bayron recovered from a two-over card with birdies on Nos. 7, 9 and 11 but bogeyed No. 11 for a 72 for joint 15th with Thais Wisut Artjanawat and Namchok Tantipokhakul, Omar Dungca, Paul Echavez, Rolando Marabe Jr., Arnold Villacencio, American Josh Salah and Englishman George Twyman.
Some of the big guns, however, groped for form in hot condition, including Aboitiz Invitational winner Damien Jordan, who bolstered his bid by topping Tuesday’s pro-am with Chris Cura, Harold Vicencio and Pablo Santos but fumbled with four bogeys against two birdies to fall eight strokes off the pace at 74 with fellow Aussie David Gleeson, Thai Thammanoon Sriroj, Dutch Guido Van der Valk, and local bets Erwin Arcillas, Rufino Bayron, Michael Bibat, Mhark Fernando, Jet Mathay and Dino Villanueva.
Gleeson, who won the kickoff leg of the PGT Asia 2018-19 season at Luisita, birdied the first hole but reeled back with three bogeys in the next eight then mixed two birdies against the same number of bogeys at the back for joint 35th in the eighth leg of the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.
James Ryan Lam, another PGTA leg winner at the CAT Open, likewise bombed out with a 76 marred by a double bogey on No. 14 and triple bogey on the 16th and in danger of missing the 50-plus ties cut at joint 56th with Japan’s Takahashi Keisuke, England’s Joe Knox, Campbell, Richnell Albano, Sean Harley, Teodoro Osabel and Richard Sinfuego in the event backed by Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, K&G Golf Apparel, BDO, Sharp, KZG, PLDT, Empire Golf and Sports and M.Y. Shokai Technology, Inc.