ILOILO City – Jhonnel Ababa conquered gusty winds, thick rough and narrow fairways with a bogey-free three-under-par 67 Tuesday to seize the opening-round lead in the ICTSI Iloilo Golf Challenge at the Iloilo Golf and Country Club.
The Davao-based veteran carved out three birdies while keeping his card spotless to build a one-stroke advantage over five players in the P2.5-million Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. event.
Ababa birdied Nos. 6, 11 and 14 and repeatedly escaped trouble with precise iron shots and clutch par saves. He nearly stretched his advantage on the 18th but missed a three-foot birdie putt.
“My driving and iron play were solid, and my putting clicked. You really have to hit straight here because the fairways are narrow – if you miss, the rough is quite deep,” Ababa said.
Strong winds, intense heat and punishing rough tested the field throughout the opening round, with conditions becoming particularly difficult on the back nine.
“The course was extremely tough, especially when the wind picked up on the back nine. I focused on hitting greens in regulation, and whenever a birdie opportunity came up, I made the putt. I got a bit lucky today,” Ababa said.
The 67 also marked a strong rebound for Ababa after finishing third in last week’s ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic, where he stayed in contention before faltering in the final round.
Clyde Mondilla threatened to wrest the lead after reaching four-under with four holes remaining but dropped shots after missing the greens on Nos. 6 and 8 to settle for a 68.
“I missed the greens on holes 6 and 8, and my par putts were from a long distance,” Mondilla said.
Mondilla shared second place with Paul Echavez, Reymon Jaraula, Miki Ryoma and Rupert Zaragosa, leaving five players just one stroke behind Ababa.
Another six-player pack lurked two shots off the pace at 69, led by Negros runner-up Jeffren Lumbo along with Randy Garalde, James Ryan Lam, Gerald Rosales, Guido van der Valk and Paul Vesinica.
Reigning Negros Occidental champion Art Arbole recovered from a rough stretch to remain within striking distance.
Arbole stood at two-over through 15 holes before draining consecutive birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 to salvage an even-par 70.
“It’s a good thing I managed to bounce back. The layouts of Iloilo and Negros are quite similar. For me, the main difference was that the rough here is thicker and the greens are slower, but it was manageable,” Arbole said.
Arbole shared 13th place with Taewon Ha, Tony Lascuña, Francis Morilla, Edmar Salvador Jr. and Lee Song.
Ira Alido, Kristoffer Arevalo, Jerson Balasabas, Russell Bautista, Michael Bibat, Rico Depilo, Francis Mendez, Ryan Monsalvae and amateur Bobe Salahog were another stroke back at 71.
Reigning Order of Merit champion Angelo Que, a two-time winner this season, struggled to a 74 and shared 28th place with Jay Bayron, Elee Bisera, Carlos Packing, Enrico Gallardo and Justin Quiban.
With only three strokes separating Ababa from a deep pack of pursuers, the battle for the Iloilo crown remained wide open heading into the second round./PN
