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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Golf devider Thai Vongchaisit takes first-round lead at Philippine Golf Championship

Thai Vongchaisit takes first-round lead at Philippine Golf Championship

Published Feb 5, 2026 03:12 pm

At A Glance

  • The Thai ace stayed solid on his back nine despite battling windy conditions, firing six birdies against two bogeys at the start of this $500,000 event supported by BingoPlus and the MVPSF.
PHILIPPINES: Sarut Vongchaisit of Thailand pictured on Thursday, February 5, 2026, during Round One of the 2026 Philippine Golf Championship at Wack Wack Golf and CC. The US$500,000 event is staged from February 5-8, 2026. Picture by Graham Uden / Asian Tour.
PHILIPPINES: Sarut Vongchaisit of Thailand pictured on Thursday, February 5, 2026, during Round One of the 2026 Philippine Golf Championship at Wack Wack Golf and CC. The US$500,000 event is staged from February 5-8, 2026. Picture by Graham Uden / Asian Tour.
Sarut Vongchaisit made his campaign felt after carding a four-under-par 68 to take a one-stroke lead in the opening round of the Philippine Golf Championship presented by the Philippine Sports Commission at the East Course of the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong City on Thursday, Feb. 5.
The Thai ace stayed solid on his back nine despite battling windy conditions, firing six birdies against two bogeys at the start of this $500,000 event supported by BingoPlus and the MVPSF.
“I’m feeling good. I just put on play all round and put in any bad shots, so it was definitely tough out there,” said Vongchaisit, who wrapped up last season with a title win at the Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters.
“The wind… especially on my back nine, it was pretty tough. I know this course is gonna be tight,” he added.
Starting on the back nine, Vongchaisit rolled in four birdies over his first 11 holes before stumbling with a bogey on the par-5 No. 3. He quickly bounced back with a birdie on the next hole but dropped his second bogey at No. 6, then closed strong with another birdie on his penultimate hole.
American Charles Porter and Koreans Wang Jeunghun and Cho Wooyoung trailed Vongchaisit after firing identical 69s in the afternoon flights, while Wang Wei-hsuan, Kevin Yuan, Marcus Plunkett, Travis Smyth and Hung Chien-yao were two strokes off with a 70.
Keanu Jahns, who teed off with Vongchaisit, and Fil-Australian Fidel Concecpion were the best Filipino performers after shooting similar 71s, three shots behind Vongchaisit.
Jahns, the winningest player on the local circuit last year, fired three birdies to offset the two bogeys on Nos. 3 and 17.
The Fil-German admitted to having early jitters, but managed to recover quickly.
“I was just trying to settle in. I was a bit nervous those first few holes, but I was able to settle in Hole 6 or 7, just trying to hit fairways, hit greens. This course can be a bit tricky,” said Jahns.
Concepcion, who finished late in the afternoon, also found the course challenging.
“It was very tough. You have to play very conservatively. I think I might have hit like one or two divers all day. I was pretty much laying up just in the fattest part of the fairway the whole day,” said Concepcion.
Also posting 71 along with Jahns and Concepcion were Sarit Suwannarut, Poosit Supupramai, Ervin Chang, Rattanon Wannasrichan, Shaurya Bhattacharya, Shunyat Hak, Ahmad Baig, Ekpharit Wu, Chen Guxin and Tanapat Pichaikool.
Meanwhile, Brycen Ko shot an even par 72 along with Jhonnel Ababa, Carl Jano Corpus limped home with a 73, amateur Rolando Bregente, Justin Quiban and Sean Ramos posted a 74, and Rupert Zaragosa, Aidric Chan and Justin De Los Santos struggled with a 75.
Other Filipinos also struggled with Michael Bibat and Antonio Lascuna shooting a 76, while amateurs Perry Bucay and Juan Laurel, James Ryan Lam, Nilo Salahog and veteran Angelo Que had 77s.
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