Team Philippines got off to a strong start at the prestigious Singapore Amateur Open Championship, with Rolando Bregente and Grace Quintanilla taking the lead in their respective divisions after Tuesday’s opening round at the Singapore Golf Club’s Bukit Course.
Bregente fired an eagle-aided seven-under-par 64 to grab a two-shot lead over Australia’s Jonty Lunson, while Quintanilla carded a six-under 67, highlighted by six birdies, to build a four-shot advantage over Hong Kong China’s Hei Tung Leung and Singapore’s Amelie Ng in one of Southeast Asia’s premier amateur tournaments.
A standout from the highly successful Eastridge program that captured the most recent Interclub title, Bregente overcame two bogeys on the front nine before catching fire on the back, where he played five-under. He capped his round with an eagle on the par-5 18th, giving him the cushion over Lunson.
Jet Hernandez also put himself in contention with a four-under 68, just four strokes behind Bregente. Rico See and John Edward Dy added two-under 70s to remain well within striking distance, while AJ Wacan and Chris Remata struggled to 74s and will need strong second-round performances on Wednesday to climb the leaderboard.
On the women’s side, Alethea Gaccion settled for a birdie-less 77 to finish tied for 14th with American Srihitha Mandava as the demanding Bukit layout challenged the field. Quintanilla was the only player to break away from the pack.
Ng, benefiting from her familiarity with the course, posted an even-par 71 with three birdies and three bogeys. Leung also finished at even par after birdieing the 18th, offsetting four birdies with four bogeys in a 35-36 round.
In the team competition, the Filipinos trail Australia by three strokes and are tied for second with Hong Kong China and Thailand. Australia leads with a seven-under 135 behind Lunson and Max Moring, who shot 68.
Since Bregente and Remata are the official entries of the National Golf Association of the Philippines, only their scores counted toward the team standings, giving the Philippines a two-round total of 138. That matched the totals of Hong Kong China’s Markus Lam and Nok Him Chan (71-67) and Thailand’s Settawut Kenanan and Warut Boonrod (68-70).
The Philippine women’s team is just one shot behind the leading Hong Kong China tandem of Leung and Xizihan Wang, who combined for a 143 after Wang shot 72. Host Singapore sits three strokes further back with Ng and Junxi Guo, who carded a 76.
