Santos-ocampo, Japanese share clubhouse lead

DASMARINAS, Cavite—Filipino long shot Carl Santos-Ocampo and unknown Japanese Mitsuhiko Hazishume fired identical 4-under-par 68 to share the early lead when darkness halted play in the rain-delayed first round of the ICTSI Orchard Golf Championship here yesterday.

Santos-Ocampo, who blew his first crack at a pro crown in the ICTSI John Hay Championship last April, put himself in early contention with a 34-34 card spiked by six birdies against two bogeys at the Orchard’s Palmer course.

Hashizume, 28, took advantage of an early tee-off to shoot three birdies at the back, where he started, then gunned down an eagle on No. 2 and added another birdie on the fifth to negate bogeys on Nos. 1 and 7.

Heavy mid-morning rains spawned by Typhoon Helen rendered the fairways soggy and submerged some of the greens, forcing tournament director Jittisak Tramprasert of the Asian Development Tour to suspend play in the $60,000 event.

Play resumed after two hours but many participants failed to finish their round, among them top local bets Elmer Salvador and Antonio Lascuña, who dominated last week’s ADT leg, the Aboitiz Invitational in Cebu.

Salvador, who beat Lascuna by six in the first of two Phl ADT legs this season, mixed two birdies against twobogeys, for an even par card after nine holes. Lascuña, the current Order of Merit leader on the ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour, was 1-under at the turn.

Singapore’s Quincy Quek trailed the clubhouse leaders by one with a 69 set up by an impressive 33 at the back.

Rufino Bayron, who went on a slump after humbling the pros as an amateur to win the Valley leg of the ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour in late 2008, shot a 70 along with Rey Pagunsan, Charles Davies of Wales, Korean Lee Hay-yeul and rookie pro Clyde Mondilla.