Go, Singson to make pro debut BREEZING THROUGH
Scheffler, Lowry share Bay Hill lead
Former national team standouts Lois Kaye Go and Mafy Singson take the eagerly anticipated plunge into the professional ranks, bolstering the already formidable cast in the ICTSI Apo Golf Classic, which reels off on Tuesday at the Apo Golf and Country Club in Davao City.
Go, a key member of several gold medal-winning teams, including those in the Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games, joins forces with Queen Sirikit Cup and SEAG teammate Singson. Their entry not only promises to challenge the seasoned pros but also fuels their quest for victory in the P1 million tournament that marks the start of the 10-leg LPGT circuit.
While Go seeks her breakthrough victory in the pro tour, Singson, a two-time winner at Splendido Taal in 2022 and at Valley Golf last year, carries the distinction of being a marked player in the 54-hole championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. and supported by PGTI’s official outfitter Kampfortis Golf.
The duo, however, faces stiff competition from LPGT mainstays, including reigning Order of Merit winner Daniella Uy and the accomplished trio of Chanelle Avaricio, Harmie Constantino and Chihiro Ikeda.
Mikha Fortuna, who dominated the LPGT Match Play Championship at The Country Club last year for her first pro victory, is also a top contender.
Uy, coming off a three-victory romp late in the previous season, aims to bounce back after a missed cut stint in the Singapore Women’s Open last week, while Constantino, who topped the Luisita leg and winner of the inaugural LPGT Philippine Masters last year, is determined to start the season strong for the needed momentum.
Avaricio, returning to the LPGT after campaigning in the Epson Tour last year, adds another layer of competition. A multiple LPGT leg winner, she is keen on challenging Uy, Constantino, Go and Singson for top honors.
But the homegrown talents, including Florence Bisera, who nailed her maiden win at home at South Pacific last year, and Sarah Ababa, are likely to hold a slight advantage on a challenging course that demands patience off the tee, strategic course management and putting prowess.
Meanwhile, young talents like Laurea Duque, Annika Cedo, Velinda Castil and Rev Alcantara are also ready and eager to compete for top honors, along with Miya Legaspi, Pamela Mariano, Gretchen Villacencio, Kristine Fleetwood, Marvi Monsalve, Eva Miñoza and Lucy Landicho.
MIAMI (AFP) — World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Shane Lowry solved windy conditions to share the lead in the third round of the US PGA Tour Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Scheffler, the 2022 Masters champion, and Lowry, the 2019 British Open champion, each fired a two-under par 70 to stand on nine-under 207 after 54 holes at Bay Hill in Orlando.
Reigning US Open champion Wyndham Clark was third on 208 with fellow Americans Will Zalatoris and Russell Henley and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama next on 209.
Scheffler and Lowry were among six players who shared the 36-hole lead and they kept their patience during gusty conditions in roller-coaster rounds.
“I had a lot of patience around the course,” Scheffler said.
“It’s a tough place to play, especially when you get winds like this. It’s tough to make putts. It’s tough to get the ball close to the hole.”
“Proud of how I finished and did a good job of staying patient.”
Lowry charged late, answering a bogey at the par-3 14th with birdie putts from three feet at the par-5 16th and 32 feet at the par-3 17th.
“Holed a nice one on 17 but I didn’t feel that comfortable with it all day. It was hard out there,” Lowry said.
“You’re leaving those 25-footers for birdie, you’re just trying to get it dead, because those 4-footers on those greens are quite difficult, especially when it’s windy.”
“When you play in windy conditions, the hardest part of it is putting. Certainly it was today. I felt like I hit a lot of good putts. I felt like I burned the edge a lot.”
“At the end, it was just great to hole that one on 17. I was pretty happy with that. I’m very happy with my day’s work.”
Scheffler answered a bogey at the par-3 second with a birdie at the par-5 fourth but made bogey at the fifth and ninth after missing the greens on his approach.
After a 16-foot birdie putt at the 10th, Scheffler followed a bogey at 11 with birdies at the par-5 12th and par-4 13th, then sank a 15-foot birdie at 15, tapped in for birdie at the par-5 16th and closed with back-to-back pars.
‘It’s a tough place to play, especially when you get winds like this. It’s tough to make putts.’
“Always nice to see some putts go in,” Scheffler said.
“It was challenging out there with the gusting winds. I just did my best to try and hit good putts and stay patient and I feel like I did a good job of that.”
Back-to-back bogeys to close the front nine dropped Lowry back but the Irishman birdied the 11th from 10 feet and the 12th from 14 feet then found putting form late to put himself in the final group, just as he was last Sunday when he settled for a share of fourth at the Cognizant Classic.
“These are the reasons you get out of bed in the morning, to get out and compete against the best players in the world,” Lowry said.
“I’m excited, I’m looking forward to it. I’m just going to go out and do my thing. Hopefully I can do a better job than I did last Sunday.”
American Harris English was seventh on 210 while a pack on 211 included world number two Rory McIlroy, the four-time major winner from Northern Ireland firing a 68 that included a back-nine 30.
“I’ve got a lot of momentum coming off that back nine. I just need to get off to a better start. I haven’t played that front nine very well this week,” McIlroy said.
McIlroy became the first player to drive the 10th green at Bay Hill on his way to one of six back-nine birdies, including three in a row to end his round.