Salah opens 2-shot lead with 63

ANTIPOLO – American Josh Salah dished out fine form coming off a long break, rattling off eight birdies in overcast skies for a solid 63 and a two-stroke lead over equally hot-starting Itthipat Buranatanyarat of Thailand and local ace Albin Engino in the first round of the ICTSI Forest Hills Championship at the Nicklaus course here yesterday.

Salah, who took a rest back home in Massachusetts after finishing tied for 31st in the Philippine Golf Tour Asia’s kickoff leg at Luisita last April, took advantage of benign conditions and gunned down three birdies at the back where he teed off. He then strung up four straight birdies at the front, including a chip-in on the par-3 No. 4 then capped his flawless 30-33 card with another birdie on No. 6.

“I took advantage of the course’s good set-up and the weather – no rain and wind and a bit cloudy. The course is really good but you need to play wise – go for fairways and greens and take advantage of easy holes and go for pars on the difficult ones,” said Salah, who spiked his solid round with a near-impeccable touch on the greens that saw him putt just 23 times, including two that preserved his unblemished slate.

Twenty-five others joined the assault on the rolling par-71 layout with under-par rounds but only a few came close to matching Salah’s fiery opener, including Buranatanyarat, who came away with three birdies on each nine and came through with six scrambling pars for a bogeyfree 65 which Engino matched.