Gwon, Malixi inch closer to crowns
SILANG, Cavite – Min Wook Gwon and Rianne Malixi sprang back from a pair of double bogey mishaps that would’ve unsettled young players of lesser stuff, coming away with 75 and 71, respectively, to zero in on the National Stroke Play Championship crowns at the Riviera Golf and Country Club here yesterday.
Playing virtually pressure-free after posting a big seven-stroke lead halfway through the kickoff leg of this year’s PLDT Group National Amateur Tour, Gwon yielded a number of strokes at the front in a punishing day at Langer, including a 5 on the par-3 No. 8 that continued to baffle the 17-year-old Korean.
But he toughened up at the back and preserved his four-over card with a two-birdie, two-bogey finish for a 39-36, keeping him way ahead of the pack with a 216 heading to
the last 18 holes of the event which compatriot and now pro tour campaigner Kim Joo Hyung ruled in 2018.
Japanese Atsushi Ueda sustained his rebound from 76-75 rounds with a 72, the best under exacting conditions in men’s division, but remained too far behind at 223 with Junior World titlist Aidric Chan dropping to third at 225 after a second 77 in three days and SEA Games bronze medal teammate Sean Ramos shooting a 73 for joint fourth at 226 with National Doubles winner Ryan Monsalve, who stumbled with a 77.
“Despite the wind, my game was okay. I hit good putts but had another problem on No. 8,” said Gwon, referring to the hole where he made a 6 Wednesday.
Carl Corpus also skied to a 77 for joint sixth at 227 with Weiwei Gao, who fumbled with a 79, Davaoeño Elee Bisera carded a 75 for solo eighth at 228 and last year’s champion Gen Nagai hardly improved from two 77s with a 75 for 229 in a tie with fellow Japanese Kyosuke Yoshida, who hobbled with a 78.
Malixi, meanwhile, continued to stun the field with superb shotmaking and poise rarely seen in a 12-year-old campaigner, holing out with back-to-back birdies to save an even par card for a 214. That enabled her to pad her lead to three over Abby Arevalo, who fought back from a 38 start with birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 for a 72 and a 217.
“My shots were better than yesterday (Wednesday). I hope to sustain this kind of game tomorrow (today),” said Malixi, who actually made a butterfly on No. 16 for a double bogey.
That practically set the stage for their head-to-head duel in the final 18 holes as Laurea Duque fell 12 strokes off Malixi at 226 after a 76 for third with last year’s champion and first day leader Lois Kaye Go who failed to mount a comeback with a 77 for a 227.
Junia Gabasa and Korean Kim Seo Yun matched 74s for identical 228s, Bernice Ilas recovered with a 74 for a 230, Nicole Abelar skied to an 82 for a 232, Samantha Dizon rallied with a 72 for a 233 and Eagle Ace Superal carded a 76 for a 234.