DAVAO -- A pair of Philippine Golf Tour Q-School graduates put up stellar performances in tough, humid conditions, matching par-72s and stealing the first round show in the ICTSI Apo Classic at the Apo Golf and Country Club here Tuesday, March 12.

Japanese Ozeki Kakeru, coming off an impressive fourth-place finish in last week’s Q-School at the nearby South Pacific, turned a floundering start into a flourishing finish, birdying three of the last four holes to salvage a 38-34.

Edmar Salvador, Jr., meanwhile, maintained his good form from the previous week where he tied for 15th, consistently executing a focused game plan throughout the round, bucking the grueling course conditions made even more daunting by the sleek putting surface.

Expressing satisfaction with his late birdies, Kakeru acknowledged the stifling weather conditions and vowed to sustain his form for the upcoming rounds.

“Very hot but made birdies late,” said Kakeru in halting English. “Same thing tomorrow, go for par and try to make birdies. I’ll do my best.”

Salvador, on the other hand, emphasized his strategy of targeting fairways and greens while aiming for efficient putting.

“Maganda ang palo, target ko lang fairways at greens at maka-2 putts,” said the nephew of former PGT Order of Merit winner Elmer Salvador.

The duo seized a one-stroke lead over notable contenders in the P2.5 million championship put up by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc., including reigning OOM winner Jhonnel Ababa, Zanieboy Gialon and Korean Gwon Minwook, another recent Q-School graduate.

Homegrown talents Elmer Salvador and Jay Bayron posted identical 74s for joint sixth with Russell Bautista and Nilo Salahog after 18 holes of the tournament supported by PGTI official apparel Kampfortis Golf.

Despite a challenging start, Tony Lascuna, who dominated the elite field here in 2019, rallied in the latter part of the round, gaining two strokes in the last five holes to rescue a 75 and land in a tie for 10th spot with Ira Alido, Keanu Jahns, Mars Pucay, Japanese Kei Matsuoka, Dutchman Guido van der Valk, Rupert Zaragosa, Korean Min Hyeok Yu and last year’s Q-School topnotcher Hyun Ho Rho, also from Korea.

Like majority of the rest, Ababa fumbled in the early going on a course he’s so familiar with. He double bogeyed the par-3 No. 4 and conceded another stroke on the sixth to fall off the leaderboard.

But the winner of the Villamor Philippine Masters and the Mimosa Plus leg last year, found his touch and rhythm at the back, birdying Nos. 11, 13 and 15 to draw level par. He, however, missed forcing a three-way tie with another mishap on the 16th.

Several big hitters, including Clyde Mondilla and Marvin Dumandan and last week’s Q-School No. 1 Aidric Chan, faced difficulties on the tight course. Mondilla ended up with a 77, Dumandan limped with a 78, while Chan never recovered from a triple-bogey (No. 1) start in his first pro event, making six bogeys against two birdies for a 79.

Last year’s Valley leg runaway winner Reymon Jaraula also stumbled with an 80 to tumble to joint 47th and in danger of missing the Top 40 and ties cut.