BACOLOD City – Torrential rain and unrelenting winds turned the second round of the ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic into a battle of endurance and mental toughness here on Wednesday, Oct. 23.

Play was suspended after a one-and-a-half-hour downpour submerged fairways and flooded bunkers of the Negros Occidental Golf and Country course, forcing the organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. to suspend the P2.5 million championship.

Rupert Zaragosa emerged as the standout performer in brutal conditions, firing a three-under card through 12 holes to seize the clubhouse lead at five-under. Starting from No. 10, he braved swirling winds in the morning and a heavy downpour midway through his round, exhibiting mastery over the conditions by hitting birdies on Nos. 10, 14,and 17, and coming through with a brilliant par-save on the long par-5 18th.

Despite dropping two strokes on the par-3 13th due to a misjudged gust, Zaragosa swiftly recovered with back-to-back birdies from No. 2 before play was halted. His near-flawless performance left him with a four-stroke clubhouse lead over a quartet of pursuers, including Tony Lascuña, Russell Bautista, Francis Morilla and first-round leader Michael Bibat, who all posted one-under aggregate scores.

Tournament officials decided to resume the round early Thursday, with Zaragosa holding a commanding advantage over his rivals. Due to the weather disruptions, the men's competition has been reduced to 54 holes and the women's to 36.

In the distaff side, Sarah Ababa found herself within striking distance of securing her third leg victory of the season after maintaining her cushion as play was halted midway through the round. The rain-soaked course allowed for only six holes to be completed on both the front and back nines before the suspension.

Ababa, who opened the season-ending tournament of the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour with a stunning 68 and a three-stroke lead over Daniella Uy,  kept her focus despite the disruption and parred the first three holes. With the cancellation of the third round, the championship will now be decided over 36 holes, with Ababa aiming to finish strong in her final 15 holes.

Harmie Constantino, who struggled earlier in the season after a strong start, rediscovered her form by birdieing two of her first six holes to pull into a tie for second with Binitin leg winner Uy, who also parred her first three holes to keep pace with Ababa at one-over aggregate, along with Gretchen Villacencio in the featured flight.