Mondilla pulls away by 7 with record 64

CALATAGAN, Batangas, Philippines – Clyde Mondilla sustained fearsome form from tee to set a new course record of eagle-spiked eight-under 64, threatening to blow away the field with a seven-stroke lead over Elmer Salvador and Jhonnel Ababa halfway through the ICTSI Calatagan Invitational here yesterday.

Coming off a bogey-free 67 Wednesday to share the opening round lead with a pair of unfancied bets, Mondilla stormed ahead early with an eagle on the par-5 opening hole then gunned down seven birdies the rest of the way to negate a bogey on No. 5, the only black mark in a sterling 36-hole card at the Calatagan Golf Club.

“My driving, iron game and putting clicked which further boosted my confidence,” said Mondilla, who had earlier hoped to just duplicate his opening round feat but instead found himself shattering the previous course best of 66 set by Ababa in the Philippine Golf Tour event in 2011.

Thus he stormed ahead at 13-under 131, seven shots clear off Salvador, who shot a second straight 69, and Ababa, who slowed down with a 70 after a 68 for 138s.

“I’m overwhelmed with my game and I hope to keep it going in the last two rounds,” said the 23-year-old rising star from Del Monte, seeking to become the first back-to-back winner of this year’s circuit following his playoff win over absentee Jobim Carlos at ICTSI Manila Masters at Eastridge two weeks ago.

So awesome was Mondilla’s form that he dominated veterans Tony Lascuña and Mhark Fernando for the second straight day with Lascuña citing Mondilla’s superb putting as key to his back-to-back title bid in the sixth leg of the PGT sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc.

“If he continues to putt that way, no one can beat him,” said Lascuña, pointing to Mondilla’s eight long putts, including that eagle feat from two-pin length distance following a solid 3-iron tee shot and a superb 3-wood second shot.

In a separate flight, Salvador hit four birdies after 13 holes but dropped a stroke on the next and settled for another three-under card to tie with Ababa, who bogeyed No. 15 for a closing 36.

Lascuña, winner here when the circuit, organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc., made its last stop in 2013, continued to struggle with his balky putter and missed at least four birdie chances, finishing with 71 and laying eight shots adrift at 139.

Jay Bayron rebounded from a 73 with a 68 but remained 10 shots behind at 141 while erstwhile co-leader Joenard Rates limped home with a 75 and tumbled to joint sixth at 142 with Japanese Syotaro Onuki, who bounced back with a 70.

Fernando, winner here in 2012, failed to get going and carded a 72 to drop into joint eighth with Rufino Bayron and Orlan Sumcad, who fired 68 and 69, respectively, for 143s while Reymon Jaraula turned from awesome to awful as he skied to an 80 after matching Mondilla and Rates’ opening 67s and slid to 147.