Big-hitting Stewart takes control with 63

CARMONA, Cavite – Aussie Tim Stewart lived up to his big-hitting ways, firing a eight-under 63 and wresting the clubhouse lead over American Lexus Keoninh and three others at the start of the ICTSI Manila Southwoods Championship at the softened Legends course here yesterday.

The Sydney ace, who failed to cash in on his power at the tight, short Sta. Barbara layout and ended up joint 12th in the ICTSI Iloilo Golf Challenge of the PGT two weeks ago, kicked off his bid in the $100,000 event at the back with three straight birdies and closed it out in the same fashion – birdying the last three for a 33-30 card that also included a three-birdie effort in a fourhole stretch from No. 14.

He did fumble with a bogey on the slightly dog-leg right par-4 No. 4 but more than made up for the slip with those birdies in the last three from short range spiked by powerful drives, taking command by two over the strongest cast ever assembled thus far in the three-year-old circuit put up by ICTSI.

“I was on target most of the time. It was an incredible feeling. Overall my driving and irons were near perfect and my putting was impressive. I just need to sustain this kind of game in the next three days,” said Stewart, who led the assault on the flat, softened par-71 course which yielded 26 under-par cards under preferred lies rules with half of the 114-player field still to complete play at presstime.

The foreign bets actually upstaged the country’s finest with Keoninh, also in pursuit of a maiden crown like the Stewart, matching the Aussie's backside start then birdying three of the last five holes at the back for a 65, the same outputs put in by Thai Tawit Polthai and Peter Stojanovski of Macedonia.

As fancied Juvic Pagunsan, who swept the PGT’s last three legs in the Visayas last month, coming out a bit cold with a 70 and Miguel Tabuena, the first PGT Asia leg winner here in 2017, rallying to shoot a 68, Justin Quiban took the cudgels for the locals with a bogey-free six under card for joint second after completing of the morning play in the 72-hole championship backed by PLDT Enterprise, Meralco, BDO and PGT Asia official apparel Pin High.

Actually in pursuit of a second PGT Asia diadem after ruling final leg of the circuit’s inaugural staging at Luisita three years ago, the young Quiban hit three birdies at the front then rattled off three straight from No. 13. He, however, missed to seize solo second with a flubbed birdie putt on the par-5 17th.

Rufino Bayron kept in step with the six-under group but the former amateur hotshot, who last won at Orchard in 2014, bogeyed his last hole on No. 9, dropping to a share of sixth at 66 with Michael Bibat and Dutch Guido Van der Valk.

Tabuena, in his first local tournament following a back injury that hampered his campaign in Asia and Europe, birdied the first two holes but bogeyed No. 4 and after another birdie on the sixth, he uncharacteristically dropped two strokes on the par-5 No. 8. But the diminutive but talented shotmaker, rebounded with a birdie on No. 13 then eagled the next to get back into the mix at 68 with fellow former PGTA leg titlist Joenard Rates, American Pete Vilairatana, Thai Ratchapol Jantavara and Korean-American Micah Shin.

“I’m fully healed from my injury and I’m so glad to be back playing at home. While my body is at full strength, I am still trying to get my groove back, to get into the flow of the game,” said Tabuena. “But I have to make it up in the second round. The Legends is a scoring course so I’m way off my target of at least five-under each day to get a chance.”

Japanese Keita Sudo gunned down three birdies at the back then survived a roller-coaster frontside stint of three birdies against two bogeys for a 67 for provisional hold of solo ninth in the event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.