Paolo Wong fashioned out a gutsy even par 72 while Junia Gabasa scrambled for a 74 in tough conditions as they took charge in their respective divisions at the start of the Philippine Junior Amateur Open Golf Championships at the Sherwood Hills Golf Club in Trece Martires, Cavite yesterday.
Wong hit two birdies against a bogey at the front but wavered in the last nine holes, dropping a stroke on the par-3 16th to settle for a 35-37 card and a one-stroke lead over Paolo Barro, who matched Wong’s frontside card but stumbled with back-to-back bogeys from No. 12 for a 73.
Unlike Wong and Barro, Carl Corpus bounced back from a woeful 41 start with a sizzling 35 to save a 76 but lay four shots off the pace.