Salvador takes control with second 71 as Casas fades

DAVAO'S ELMER SALVADOR.

CEBU City – Elmer Salvador bucked poor putting and pounced on Cassius Casas’ meltdown at the front to wrest control then holed out with a birdie on No. 9 to card a 71 and preserve the lead in a topsy-turvy second round of the rich Aboitiz Invitational presented by ICTSI 2011 here, Thursday.
It was Salvador’s second straight one-over card at the Cebu Country Club which continued to baffle the field with its toughness that saw first round leader Arnold Villacencio limp home with an 82. But it was enough to propel the reticent Davaoeno shotmaker to the top of the heap with a 142 halfway through the first local event to be calendared on the Asian Development Tour.
That was one shot ahead of Jonathan Moore, the American rookie seeking a second leg title on the ADT after beating Artemio Murakami in the third leg at the Impian Classic in Malaysia last May.
Moore had a decent two-bogey, one-birdie stint to match Salvador’s output for a 143, while sophomore pros Rufino Bayron (71), Antonio Asistio II (73) and Casas (73) stood a stroke farther back at 144.
With five players, led by defending champion Jay Bayron (74), pooling 36-hole aggregates of 145, and five more, including Australian Matt Docking and Jhonnel Ababa, assembling a 146, a wild, wild chase is expected in the last two rounds of the $65,000 tournament sponsored by Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV) and presented by International Container Terminal Services, Inc.
“Masama talaga ang putting ko pero mahirap talaga ang greens, masyadong firm” rued Salvador, referring to his three-putt bogey mishap on No. 3 and a couple of missed birdie putts from four feet.
“Kailang mag-click ang putting kasi di pa ako nanalo ng masama ang putting,” added Salvador, who had two runner-up finishes this year.
Like all the players, Moore struggled on the surface but vowed to make the
“The course is short but the greens are so firm. It really took all my time and energy,” said Moore. “Majority of the time you get few chances in the round when you can be aggressive.”
Casas did go an attack mode early and was rewarded, though briefly, as he sizzled with bogey-free 32 at the back where he started and quickly surged ahead by three over Salvador, Moore and a host of others.
But he lost his touch at the front, making a wet bogey on No. 1 and a double bogey on the second before dropping three more strokes in the last seven holes for a 41. He wound up with a 73.
“I just lost my rhythm,” said Casas in Filipino. “But there are still 36 holes to go, so let’s see what happens.”
Jay Bayron, winner of this event last year as a local tournament, stumbled with six bogeys against two bogeys for a 74 and 145 as he joined the group of Anthony Fernando (72), Sri Lanka’s Mithlin Perera (71), Marvin Dumandan (75) and Michael Bibat (72).
Ababa, winner of the ICTSI-Iloilo leg last month, Albin Engino and Docking all turned in second straight 73s to lead the 146 scorers, who included Richard Sinfuego (72) and Ernie Rellon, who partnered with amateur ace Marcel Puyat to win the Samsung Davao Pro-Am crown last week, who fought back with a 72.
Tony Lascuna, seeking an end to a long title drought, made a 74 and dropped into a tie with Japanese Motonari Nakagawa (72) in joint 16th at 147.
Villacencio turned from awesome to awful, limping with a birdie-less 12-over card after a tournament-leading 69 and tumbling down from first to joint 37th at 151, barely making the cut pegged at 153.
Fifth players made it to the last 36 holes, with Miguel Tabuena advancing with a 149 after a 77, along with Mars Pucay and Murakami with 150 after a 73 and 74, respectively, and Taiwanese Chiang Chen-chih, winner of the ADT's Transcend Open last May, who wavered with a 76.
A double-bogey 7 on the par-5 No. 2 portended the coming of a bleak day for Villacencio, who then made another “7” at the par-4 sixth for a 40 then stumbled with two bogeys, a double bogey and another triple-bogey for a 42.
It was actually another challenging day at the long, par-70 layout as the field failed to break par, leaving Villacencio as the lone player to shoot an under-par round.
Mhark Fernando, who scored a breakthrough at ICTSI-Del Monte, and Robert Pactolerin, winner at ICTSI-Bacolod, missed the cut with 155s after a 78 and 79, respectively.
The event is backed by MJ Carr Golf Management, Inc., Srixon, Callaway, Unilab, BDO, Titleist, Sharp, Custom Clubmakers, Mizuno, Empire Golf & Sports Shop, PinoyGolfer.com, Inquirer Golf, Omnisource International, A Round of Golf, Studio 23, Balls, and Dynamic Sports.(pr)

JONATHAN MOORE OF U.S.A.