GOLF NEWS: PGT ASIA - 2019 ICTSI Luisita Championship

PGT ASIA

Date: 15-18. Apr. 2019.
Tournament Name: 2019 ICTSI Luisita Championship
Course: Luisita Golf CC (PAR 72)
Venue: Philippines
Players:

15. Apr.

Round 1.

Leader: TANTIPOKHAKUL NAMCHOK (THA)
Score: 67. (-5)

Leaderbard

16. Apr.
Round 2.

Leader: VAN DER VALK GUIDO (NED)
Score: 137. (-7)

TARLAC – Guido Van der Valk scorched Luisita’s tough backside with a solid 31 and finished with a seven-under 65, moving from joint 21st to the top of the heap even as Juvic Pagunsan fired a bogey-free 69 to wheel back into contention halfway through the ICTSI Luisita Championship at the Luisita Golf and Country Club here yesterday.

The Manila-based Dutchman actually sparked his late charge with a three-birdie string from No. 9 and knocked down three more in the last four to shoulder himself past a slew of rivals and into the lead at seven-under 137 with two rounds left in the $100,000 event kicking off the third season of the Philippine Golf Tour Asia put up by ICTSI.

“Overall, my game was near-perfect. Played pretty well sans the wind although the pin placements were difficult,” said Van der Valk, who missed just two fairways and one green while anchoring his exploits with 28 putts.

That put the 39-year-old shotmaker from Lelystad, the Netherlands 36 holes away from duplicating his breakthrough win in the first leg of the 2018 PGT circuit at Eagle Ridge that ended years of near-misses in the local circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

Aiming to just put himself back into contention after a so-so 72 Monday, Van der Valk birdied two of the first five holes, stumbled with a bogey on the next but got going again with that birdie from short range on the ninth.

Leaderboard

17. Apr.
Round 3.

leader: PUTKONEN TEEMU (FIN)
Score: 206. (-10)

TARLAC – Finn Teemu Putkonen made up for his late meltdown in the previous round with a strong finish yesterday, birdying two of the last three holes to shoot an eagle-spiked 68 and snatch the third round lead from Guido Van der Valk in the ICTSI Luisita Championship here yesterday.

In a leaderboard dominated by foreign aces, Putkonen finally took control after losing grip of the lead halfway through the $100,000 championship with a late double bogey Tuesday, putting up a combination of superb shots from the mound to the green to produce a second straight four-under card and a 54-hole aggregate of 10-under 206.

“My driving, irons and short game were simply good,” said Putkonen, who birdied the opening hole and holed out with an 11-foot eagle putt on the par-5 fifth off a solid 3-wood second shot from 260 yards. Those negated his bogeys on Nos. 3 and 6 with the Finnish still in search for a first local win hitting another birdie on No. 11 before closing out with birdies on Nos. 16 and 18 from 15 feet.

That put him three strokes ahead of Van der Valk, who pounced on Putkonen’s late-hole mishap to wrest the lead after 36 holes behind a fiery backside run of 31 for a 65 in the second round. But the Dutch failed to sustain his charge, settling for a four-birdie, four-bogey game for a 72 to drop to second at 209.

“I’m not used to making predictions but I’ll just play my game and hopefully I’ll make it tomorrow (today),” said 30-year-old shotmaker from Jarvenpaa, a 30-minute drive from Helsinki, who tied for 18th at PGT Asia Riviera last month.

Van der Valk, however, said he would need to shoot a six-under to earn a shot at the crown, stressing: “A three-stroke lead isn’t safe here but it will still be difficult to catch him.”

A host of others churned out low scores in near-ideal conditions to get into the mix heading to the final 18 holes of the event serving as the kickoff leg of the Philippine Golf Tour Asia third season with Spain’s Marcos Pastor matching Van der Valk’s seven-under card in the second round with a solid 33-32 highlighted by an eagle on No. 16.

Leaderboard