Castro, Constantino clinch top seeding

LUIS Miguel Castro hobbled with a 75 while Harmie Constantino matched par 71 for the second straight time as they shared low medal honors in the Philippine Junior Amateur Match Play Golf Championship eliminations at Riviera’s Langer course in Cavite on Tuesday.

Castro bogeyed the last two holes for a 37-38 but still topped the 36-hole stroke play elims in the boys’ division with a 149 for a clash with Matthew Abalos in today’s start of the knockout phase of the annual event for 17-and-under players.

Constantino, on the other hand, primed herself up for another shot at the match play crown by dominating the girls’ side with a 142, seven strokes ahead of Tomi Arejola, who had a 149 after a 72.

Constantino, who beat Mikha Fortuna to capture the Phl Am Open match play crown last month, bucked a frontside 37 with three birdies against a lasthole bogey at the back while Arejola rebounded from an opening 77 with a 72 spiked by a 35 start.

Carl Corpus, who took the men’s crown at Orchard last month, fumbled with a 78 but still finished behind Castro with a 153 for a clash with Rald Sarmiento in the event sponsored by the MVP Sports Foundation and held as part of the PLDT Group National Amateur Golf Tour.

Vince Floro, Sarmiento and Abalos finished with similar 177s after an 85, 88 and 90, respectively, with Floro paired with No. 3 Paolo Wong in the knockout stage. Wong carded a 75 and pooled a 156 in the tournament organized and conducted by the National Golf Association of the Philippines.

Josh Jorge and Carlo Villaroman limped with 80s for 160 and 161, respectively, while Sean Ramos made a 78 for a 162 followed by Korean Kim Tae Soo (78-165), David Guangko (85-168), Pierre Ticzon (87-169) and Paolo Barro ( 84- 172), respectively.

Other matches pit Jorge versus Rho Hyun Ho, Villaroman against Joaquin Gomez, Ramos versus Masaichi Otake, Kim against Barro and Guangko versus Ticzon.