Executing a calculated game plan to near-perfection, Kiwi Nick Voke gunned down six birdies to shoot a five-under-par 65 and take a one-shot lead over Thailand’s Nopparat Panichphol after the demanding opening round of the 108th Philippine Open at the Manila Southwoods Masters Course punished the local field.
A multiple-leg winner on the China Tour, Voke failed to save par from the greenside bunker on No. 12 for his only blemish in a 31-34 effort. The Auckland-born 32-year-old made the most of the relatively calmer morning conditions, just like Panichphol, whose only dropped shot also came on the par-four 12th.
“Mostly 3-woods to find the fairways and put the ball in play,” Voke said when asked about his mindset, explaining that he kept his driver in the bag as much as possible to give himself the best chance of avoiding the tall rough. “It worked, obviously. I’m very happy with how it turned out because it was a very tricky day.”
(C) NGAP
Justin Quiban was the only Filipino to break par, rescuing a 69 with an eight-foot birdie putt on No. 8—his 17th hole—to finish just four shots off the lead. Carl Corpus and Lloyd Go carded contrasting rounds of level-par 70s to stay another stroke back in the $1-million event presented by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
“It was very difficult out there today,” said Quiban, who dropped his final shot on No. 6 after missing the green, following his round.
Quiban played his final nine holes in 33, recovering from a double bogey on No. 16 and working his way back to one-under with birdies on Nos. 1 and 2. However, he missed the sixth green, resulting in his second bogey of the day.
Meanwhile, Corpus, who represented the country in the last Asian Games in Japan, failed to sustain a hot start as bogeys on Nos. 12 and 13 erased his two-under card, which had remained flawless through the tricky 11th hole.
“I will still stick to my game plan (despite being five strokes down),” Corpus told reporters. “There were several mistakes, especially on No. 12 when I overshot the green.”
(C) NGAP
Go, on the other hand, needed a birdie on the 18th to salvage his 70, while Enrique Dimayuga, Elee Bisera and Reymon Jaraula carded 71s to remain firmly in contention.
Former Order of Merit winner Andy Ogletree and crowd favorite Kevin Na led a five-man group at 67. Na, in particular, provided a highlight on the par-five 18th, nearly holing a long bunker shot from the front greenside bunker before settling for a birdie.
Pavit Tangkamolprasert, who leads the Order of Merit race that awards a DP World Tour slot to the top finisher, was among three Thais who carded 68s. He was joined by South Korea’s Taehoon Ok, while Micah Shin, the Korean-American who grew up in Davao and learned the game at Apo Golf, joined Quiban’s group after birdieing No. 8.
The day did not go as planned for two of the country’s touted aces, Clyde Mondilla and Angelo Que, who both struggled early.
Que, the 2008 champion at Wack Wack’s East Course, double-bogeyed No. 6 before settling for a 75, while fellow former champion Mondilla carded a 76. Both will need low scores in the second round to make the weekend cut and keep their hopes of a second Philippine Open title alive.
