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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Golf devider Hernandez fires Flawless 65, opens seven-shot lead; Sarines tops Ladies' field

Hernandez fires Flawless 65, opens seven-shot lead; Sarines tops Ladies' field

Published Jul 29, 2026 03:28 pm

At A Glance

  • Jet Hernandez broke out of the gates hard and left everyone in pre-National Strokeplay Championship talk behind on a rainy Wednesday, July 29, shooting a seven-under-par 65 to take a seven-shot lead and threaten to make the final three rounds of the prestigious event a cakewalk.
Jet Hernandez plays tough first round with an eagle and no bogeys. (NGAP)
Jet Hernandez plays tough first round with an eagle and no bogeys. (NGAP)
Jet Hernandez broke out of the gates hard and left everyone in pre-National Strokeplay Championship talk behind on a rainy Wednesday, July 29, shooting a seven-under-par 65 to take a seven-shot lead and threaten to make the final three rounds of the prestigious event a cakewalk.
The 21-year-old University of Denver standout reached the par-4 fourth off the tee and then drained a 15-foot eagle putt, before adding three birdies in a four-hole span from the sixth to go out in 32 and leave the field eating his dust as young Vito Sarines was the closest pursuer after a 39-33 effort.
"Everything just worked for me, most especially my putting," the incoming senior at UD said as he guns to win this event for the second straight time after ruling it in 2024. The event took a break last year.
"It's like every putt I looked at had a chance to go in," he added. "This is a tough course. It just so happened that I was able to find most of the fairways and I putted so well."
Vito Sarines, possibly the youngest in the field at 13, leads Jet's brother Emilio Gabriel by a shot and a three-man group by two shots and Rolando Bregente, a pre-tournament favorite, by three heading into a second round that could prove tougher because of continuous foul weather.
Young Ralph Batican, the 14-year-old protege of the legendary Frankie Minoza, fired a 75 to be nine shots off as the wide-open course proved a little too tough to handle for the talented field as rains made it play a lot longer than its 7,000-plus yards.
Rolando Bregente, the 24-year-old who finished tied for fourth with Jet Hernandez in the Singapore Amateur Open two weeks ago, never got anything going after a double bogey six on No. 3 and then closing out with three bogeys in a birdie-less trip coming home for a 75.
Chris Remata, also a member of the national pool like Hernandez and Bregente, also struggled with a 75, and both would need to make up a lot of ground on Thursday to matter in the weekend.
And while the men's race started out in a lopsided way, 14-year-old Lisa Sarines and Tashanah Balangauan are locked in a heated ladies' race, with Sarines shooting a 70--the only sub-par score in their division--to lead Balangauan by three.
Precious Zaragosa, the multi-titled 15-year-old playing out of Canlubang, shot herself in the foot by playing her first 14 holes at seven-over, gunning down her only birdie for the round on No. 9--her last hole--to be eight behind and keep a mathematical chance.
Maurysse Abalos, Jules Gaerlan and Crista Minoza all returned 79s, with Johanna Uyking shooting an 81 to lag behind big.
"I wasn't really expecting to play this well," Lisa Sarines said. "But my irons were just on point the entire round that's why things worked out the way they did."
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