Go holds fort in the winds, now nine-up

LJ Go —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

BAGUIO—The winds blew for all of the second round on Wednesday, and the man who looked like he carded an opening 18 fluke was the only one left standing tall and is now threatening to run away with the ICTSI Pinewoods Challenge here.

LJ Go had six of his seven birdies in a nine-hole stretch from No. 6 to shoot a five-under-par 67 and build a nine-shot lead over Jeff Lumbo heading into the money rounds of the P2.5-million event at the bending, up-and-down course in this chilly summer capital.

The 31-year-old, who has played the 6,097-yard layout exactly twice now, takes a 131 aggregate into the third round after shooting the only sub-par round on a wind-buffeted day that had even the big guns scrambling to come close to shooting par.

“I [definitely] played better today than yesterday,” Go said, even if there was a three-stroke difference between his final scores in the first two rounds. “The winds were just so strong today.”

Lumbo carded a 73 for 140, while South Korea’s Lee Song shot a 74 to stay another four shots off the pace, as the rest of the field will try to come up with strong third-round efforts to make Go sweat out a first win in the last two years.

“I just tried keeping the ball in play,” Go said. “I was missing shots, but I missed them at the right places.

“I have been struggling the last two years, so hopefully, I can finish this off this week,” said Go, who will also play at Pradera Verde next week in a bid to keep his Philippine Golf Tour (PGT) card.

The field in the P1-million ladies event also struggled, with Korean Tiffany Lee shooting a day-best 73 for 142 to lead Harmie Constantino by four shots as overnight leader Chanelle Avaricio skied to a 76.

After a 71 on Tuesday, Avaricio shot a 76 to now be five down after starting the day just two shots back.

For a course that certainly looks easy to be overpowered on paper, Pinewoods bared its fangs and claimed the chances of many, counting five foreigners and former PH Masters champion Jessie Balasabas, who struggled to an 83 after opening with a 74 on Tuesday.

Angelo Que had four bogeys in his first five holes and went on to shoot a 76 for a 153 aggregate, just a shot off the halfway cut that the multititled Jonel Ababa made on the dot after firing a 78. INQ