Wild Riviera finish seen Mondilla gains as leaders falter

SILANG, Cavite, Philippines – Clyde Mondilla unleashed a strong finishing kick to vault into the lead, battling back from four-down to one-up with a 70 in the third round of the ICTSI Riviera Classic yesterday.

Halfway leader Rufino Bayron and first round pacesetter Micah Shin fell prey to the risky par-4 No. 11 of the Langer course with treacherous pin placement,  coming up with a triple bogey and the latter dropping two strokes on errant approach shots.

That enabled Mondilla to wrest control with a routine par and emerge the new leader for the third straight day in the P2 million event serving as the 12th leg of the circuit sponsored by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

“I took it easy in the early going and waited for them (Rufino and Micah) to make mistakes. And when they did (on No. 11), I grabbed the chance then went on an attack mode,” said Mondilla, who ran off three straight pars from No. 14 to take charge at six-under 207.

Bayron, who wrested the halfway lead with a 66, fumbled with two more bogeys after that triple-bogey mishap on No. 11 and limped with a 77 to fall to fifth at 210 while Shin, who showed up the elite field with an opening 65, hobbled with a 72 and dropped to joint third with Jay Bayron at 209.

Jay Bayron, who beat Malaysian Gavin Green by two to bag the Aboitiz Invitational crown at Wack Wack last weekend, rallied from seven shots down to move within two off Mondilla with a 69 and revive his hopes for a second straight championship.

He drilled in three birdies in a four-hole stretch from No. 13 but missed joining American Nicolas Paez at 208 with a bogey on the last hole.

Paez, out to atone for a final round meltdown at Wack Wack, made the biggest move in the topsy-turvy third round, birdying three of the last five holes to fire one of the day’s two best scores of 68.

The 27-year-old Californian, who led in the middle rounds at Aboitiz but wound up sixth with a closing 77, also made a 7 on No. 11, negating his three birdies in the first 10 holes. But he fought back with birdies on Nos. 13, 15 and 16 and gained a spot in the championship flight with Mondilla and Jay Bayron.