PGT ASIA
Date: 03-06. Apr. 2019.
Tournament Name: Solaire Philippine Open
Course: The Country Club (PAR 72)
Venue: Philippines
Players: 132.
Prize Money: US $ 500.000
03. Apr.
Round 1.
leader: POLTHAI TAWIT (THA)
Score: 67. (-5)
STA. ROSA, Laguna – Thai Tawit Polthai crushed the stellar field and unraveled the dreaded The Country Club course with a bogey-free, eagle-spiked 67, finding himself a bewildered leader by four over Clyde Mondilla and two others at the start of the 101st Solaire Philippine Open here yesterday.
Polthai overcame the heat and severe conditions in afternoon play with a near-impeccable short game and solid putting, producing three birdies inside 15 feet and a 10-foot eagle on the par-5 eighth off a 6-iron second shot from 183 yards for a 32-35 card in a big surge for a player who struggled to finish joint 37th in last week’s ICTSI Riviera Challenge.
While majority groped and struggled trying to come up with a decent start in scorching heat at the wind-raked Tom Weiskoph-designed layout he had never played before, Polthai made it look easy – at least after the first 18 holes of the $500,000 event sponsored by Solaire Resort & Casino for the third straight year.
“It’s a very tough, windy course. I’m really surprised to have shot a 67,” said the 25-year-old Polthai from Bangkok.
Mondilla, out to atone for his missed cut stint at Riviera, birdied two of the four par-5s and the par-3 third hole to negate his bogeys on Nos. 6 and 9 then parred the last eight holes to join Aussie Jack Sullivan and another Thai Charng-Tai Sudsomo at second with 71s.
“My irons, short game and putting finally clicked,” said Mondilla, who took the cudgels for the locals after the fancied Juvic Pagunsan and former champion Angelo Que succumbed to tough conditions and hobbled with identical 77s for joint 40th with Tony Lascuña and Thais Chawalit Plaphol and Poosit Supupramai in the 72-hole championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.
Leaderboard
04. Apr.
Round 2.
Leader: POLTHAI TAWIT (THA)
Score: 143. (-1)
Some of the fancied names even didn’t make way past the 65-plus ties cut at a high 14-over 158, most specifically local favorite Juvic Pagunsan, who staggered with a career-worst 86 marred by an 11 at the par-5 10th for a 163 total for joint 96th among the 131-player starting field.
Except for one, over-par was the norm of the day yesterday given the wicked conditions at the TCC with the gale-force winds blowing from all over, forcing the bidders to adjust a club or two in tackling each shot at the long, risky Tom Weiskoph-designed layout.
At the end of the day, only Thai Namchok Tantipokhakul turned in the lone under-par card of 70, marred by a closing bogey on the ninth, moving to second behind compatriot Polthai, whose strong finish saved what could’ve been a disastrous round for the Bangkok native, who stirred up interest with a flawless, eagle-spiked 67 Wednesday to wrest a four-stroke lead over Clyde Mondilla and two others.
Polthai oddly groped for form while playing in one of the early flights, bogeying the first two holes at the back and spending the rest of the round either scrambling to save par or trying to save his spot at the top in the $500,000 championship sponsored by Solaire Resort & Casino for the third straight year.
He failed on the first but his closing back-to-back birdies from No. 8 enabled him to keep his hold of the lead at one-under 143, two strokes ahead of Tantipokhakul (145) while Keanu Jahns found himself leading the local challenge at 146 with a second straight 73 in a tie with Peter Stojanovski of Macedonia and Nirun Sae Ueng, also of Thailand, who shot 72 and 73, respectively.
Leaderboard
05. Apr.
Round 3.
leader: MONDILLA CLYDE (PHL)
Score: 25. ( -1)
STA. ROSA, Laguna – Clyde Mondilla took charge as the Thai leaders blinked and succumbed to The Country Club’s riddle, overcoming an early slip with four birdies for a three-under 69 as he stormed to a four-stroke lead over Tawit Polthai in the third round of the Solaire Philippine Open here yesterday.
Mondilla shook off an opening hole bogey and birdied Nos. 2, 7, 14 and 17 in second-to-last flight then watched the last group of Polthai, Namchok Tantiphokakul and Fil-German Keanu Jahns flounder with fat frontside scores to wrest control before pulling away with a solid backside 34 to edge closer to a dream crown in the country’s premier championship at one-under 215.
“I hit my irons pretty solid, my short game was good and I putted well,” said Mondilla, who moved in the threshold of a breakthrough victory in the country’s premier championship sponsored by Solaire Resort & Casino after miserably missing the cut in last week’s ICTSI Riviera Challenge and after submitting the lone under overall total among the 66 players who survived severe wind and hot conditions in the first two rounds.
Polthai, who closed out with back-to-back birdies Thursday to keep his spot at the top, groped to sustain his form and fumbled with four bogeys at the front for a 40 then finished with a 36 for a 76 that dropped him to second at 219.
Nirun Sae-Ueng, who kept Mondilla in sight with a 36 start, failed to match the Del Monte ace’s superb finish, hobbling with a 38 for a 74 for joint third at 220 then praised the new leader’s excellent game that helped put him 18 holes away from keeping the crown which absentee Miguel Tabuena won via playoff over Prom Meesawat last year.
“Honestly, I didn’t know him (Mondilla) personally. This is the first time that I played against him but he’s fine, excellent player. He hit precise shots and putted well,” said Nirum of the soft-spoken 2017 PGT Order of Merit champion who would up joint 56th here last year.
Namchok Tantiphokakul, who also wavered with a frontside 41 before rallying with three straight birdies from No. 13, missed joining Polthai at second with a bogey on the final hole for a 75 and a share of third with Nirum.
Another Thai, Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, also stayed within striking distance of Mondilla with a one-under card after eight holes but bogeyed two of his last 10 holes and ended up with a 73 for a 221.
Though the wind did not blow as hard as in the first two days, the rest of the bidders still yielded to TCC’s length and its last line of defense where pins were placed on strategic spots, forcing one to come up with precise approach shots or solid bump-and-runs.
Leaderboard
06. Apr.
FINAL ROUND
WINNER: MONDILLA CLYDE (PHL)
Score: 290. (+2)
Final Results
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