The Philippine trio struggled to find its footing in the second round of the 31st Nomura Cup on Wednesday, carding a 146 to lose considerable ground and drop into a tie for third with China and defending champion Vietnam.
The result left the Filipinos 10 strokes behind leader Hong Kong-China, but with 36 holes still to play, the young squad remains confident that the deficit is manageable as it chases the country’s first title in the event, also known as the official Asia-Pacific team championship.
Reigning national Match Play champion Shinichi Suzuki, who failed to count in the opening round on Tuesday, bounced back with a level-par 72 at Bayhood No. 9 Golf Club in Beijing. It was a respectable effort, but Suzuki felt his score could have been much lower had he avoided a difficult day on the sleek greens.
Newly crowned Philippine Strokeplay champion Jet Hernandez also encountered his share of struggles, carding a 74 that became the Filipinos’ second counting score. First-round leader Rolando Bregente posted a 75, but his score did not count after one unfortunate hole practically derailed his round.
“Today wasn’t our day,” Suzuki, at 18 the youngest member of the squad, said after failing to break par despite missing just four greens. “But there’s still a lot of golf to be played, and anything is possible with God on our side.”
Hong Kong-China remained steady, putting together a 138 anchored by Ethan Tian’s 67 to reach 278, or 10-under par for the tournament, on the challenging layout.
Japan, meanwhile, stayed six strokes behind after matching its opening-round 142 for a 284 total.
Tian’s score did not count for Hong Kong-China in the opening round, with Markus Zachary Lam instead providing a 71 for the team’s six-under-par opening day.
Mao Matsuyama fired another 71, while Kaito Sato matched him with the same score as Japan assembled another 142. China and Vietnam both shot 143 to join the Philippines in a three-way tie for third.
“The team talked about the deficit, and we’re still confident that we can make something happen,” the 21-year-old Hernandez said after what he described as a weird day off the tees. “I don’t think any of us have played to what we are capable of yet.”
Bregente’s round unraveled on the par-3 fourth, his 14th hole of the day, when he hit a 7-iron slightly fat and ended up with a triple-bogey 6. The costly hole practically accounted for the difference between his solid play and his final score.
“None of us really played well, which gives me the confidence that we can turn things around with two rounds left,” Bregente said in Filipino. “Any of us can have a really good day; we just have to work hard for it.”
