GENERAL TRIAS—Malaysia turned in a 236 for the second straight day and stretched its lead against defending champion Philippines to three strokes after two rounds of the 34th Asean Senior Amateur Championships at the Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club here yesterday.
Idris Ngah, who opened with a hot 71 at the Aoki course Wednesday, struggled with a 76 at the Norman layout but it proved enough for Malaysia to gain one more shot against the home team. Dato Dzaamoddin Salleh matched Ngah’s Round 2 card while Goh Chan Tau added an 84.
With a 472 total, Malaysia kept the Filipinos at bay although the latter improved with a 237 after an opening 238 for a 475, setting the stage for a final round shootout for the Stroke Play Team Gross title today.
“The game is not over,” said Phl team captain Vidal Querol, who expects the foursome of Rodel Mangulabnan, Eduardo Sison, Edgar Quiao and Eddy Jose Manzanares to deliver and save the host’s title-retention bid in the six-country tournament hosted by the Federation of Philippine Amateur Senior Golfers, Inc. headed by Melito Salazar, Jr.
“It’s make or break for us but we’re very confident we’ll overcome the three-stroke lead of Malaysia,” added Querol.
After an 85, Sison improved with 77, a birdie-less round that could have been better if not for back-to-back double-bogeys at 10 and 11, to lead Phl.
Mangulabnan submitted 79, his day hit by a quintuple bogey on No. 13, where he went out-of-bounds twice.
“It was a short hole and I paid for being too aggressive. I should have finished one or two over,” rued Mangulabnan, who vowed to bounce back strong in the final round. “I’ll be on attack mode, going for broke since the Philippines is three-down.”
Quiao was the third scorer for Phl with 81 as Manzanares didn’t count for the second day with 82.
Retired Gen. Don Montenegro, meanwhile, produced the best card for the Filipinos with a one-under 71 as he moved to No. 2 in the Stroke Play Individual Gross title race, just one shot off Ngah’s leading 147. Montenegro, who had an opening 77, gunned down four birdies to offset three bogeys en route to the best round for the day of the three-day event sponsored by Camella, OmniPay, QuickMinds Corporation, Steel Asia, MegaFiber Food Fiber Health Supplement, Eastridge Senior Golfers and Royal Northwoods Senior Golfers, among others.