Carlos defies wind, heat, rain

Two strokes up with second 69 

BINANGONAN, Rizal, Philippines – Rookie pro Jobim Carlos rode through the wind, rain and heat and fired a second straight 69, grabbing a two-stroke lead over erstwhile leader Rene Menor and impressing no less the former face of the sport halfway through the ICTSI Manila Masters at the Eastridge Golf Club here yesterday.

Carlos relied on solid shotmaking and superb iron play to take charge as the big guns continued to grope for form in hot, blustery condition, coming out of a brief drizzle at mid-noon with birdies in all but one of the four par-5 holes and the par-4 15th. He made one bogey for the second straight day, a missed green mishap on the last par-5 on No. 18 but still found himself on top of the elite field at six-under 138.

“The wind was strong and the rain poured in after the first few holes. But it’s good to still score in this round,” said Carlos, now 36 holes away from scoring an early breakthrough for one of the best players to have come out of the amateur ranks.

Carlos, 20, is enjoying top form after rallying with a 64 in the final round at ICTSI Sherwood Classic three weeks ago. Though he ended up way down at joint 18th in the Asian Development Tour event, the former national standout somehow regained his touch, rhythm and confidence which he continued to dish out after two days of the P3.5 million championship sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc.

“He’s good, hits long and has a good form. He’ll go a long way,” said flightmate Frankie Miñoza, a former champion of the Asian Golf Circuit and the country’s No. 1 for so many years.

Miñoza opened with a triple-bogey seven on No. 10, dropped another stroke on the next but recovered with two birdies against one more bogey to close out his backside stint. He then rattled off three birdies at the front to fire a 72 and stay in the mix at 143, five strokes off Carlos.

Menor, who surprised the stellar field with a 68 Wednesday, found the going tough with his putter early and made a bogey-double-bogey start but struck back with three birdies in the last 11 holes to salvage a 72.

“My putting was awful and I missed five makeable birdie putts,” rued Menor, who did drop to second at 140 but whose gritty fightback underscored the unheralded shotmaker’s readiness to go up against the tour’s big guns for a crack at a first-ever crown in the event backed by Custom Clubmakers, Adidas, KZG, Summit Mineral Water, Srixon, Pacsports, TaylorMade, Sharp and Champion.

Defending champion Angelo Que, who matched par 72 in the first round, sputtered in a late start, bogeying three of the first five holes and spent the hot day groping for form with two more bogeys against the same number of birdies. He ended up with a 75 and slipped to a share of 12th at 147 with Japanese Yuta Sudo (73) and American Sam Ayotte (72)

Miguel Tabuena also failed to cash in on an early start, posting a 39 at the front marred by three straight bogeys from No. 5. He had a 72 and 148, 10 strokes off Carlos.

“I started on the wrong foot. But I regained my composure at the back,” said Tabuena.

Clyde Mondilla needed to birdie two of the last three holes to save a 72 for a 142.

Jay Bayron matched that output with a second 71 as the par-72 layout continued to bedevil the games of the strong 91-player field with the wind coming into play in most holes for the second straight day, yielding just eight under-par scores, two more than in the first round.

Chris delos Santos turned in a 71 and stood at solo sixth at even 144 while Gerald Rosales, impressive with an opening 69, shot himself in the foot with a 77 and tumbled down to joint seventh with Zanieboy Gialon, Edward Reyes, Tony Lascuna and Dutch Guido Van der Valk.

Gialon also rallied with three birdies in the first seven holes at the front but bogeyed No. 8 to settle for a 70; Reyes fought back with two late birdies to card a 71; Lascuna failed to make a move despite a change in tee time, needing two birdies in the last nine holes at the front to save a 72; while Van der Valk had a rollercoaster round of five birdies against five bogeys and a double bogey and wound up with a 74.