Pinoy golfers waver in Asia Pacific opener
MANILA, Philippines — Hope quickly gave way to frustration for the Philippine contingent as a promising start to the Asia Pacific Golf Championship unraveled into a difficult opening-day campaign.
Jaden Dumdumaya emerged as the lone Filipino to stay within the projected cut line at the Te Arai Links South Course in New Zealand on Thursday.
Dumdumaya battled to a 73 on the exacting par-71 layout, mixing four birdies with four bogeys before dropping another shot with a double bogey. His inconsistent round left him tied for 29th, 10 strokes off defending champion Fifa Laopakdee of Thailand, who wasted no time asserting his bid for another title with a spectacular nine-under-par 63.
Laopakdee set the early pace in emphatic fashion, producing a dazzling round highlighted by a pitch-in eagle on the par-4 ninth. Despite a bogey on the par-3 fifth, the Thai standout more than made up for the lone blemish with seven birdies to seize a commanding three-shot lead.
Local standout Joshua Bai emerged as his closest pursuer with a 66, while fellow New Zealanders Cooper Moore and Ryan Xie carded matching 67s to share third place. Japan's Kaito Sato posted a 68 for solo fifth
Against the elite field's impressive scoring spree, however, the Filipinos found the going tough, with costly mistakes and missed opportunities quickly putting their campaigns on the back foot.
Shinichi Suzuki, seeking to make a strong impression in his fourth appearance in the prestigious championship, struggled to a 78 for a share of 66th place. He managed just two birdies against six bogeys and a triple bogey, leaving himself considerable ground to recover in the succeeding rounds.
Rolando Bregente endured an even rougher outing, returning an 81 to fall into a tie for 85th. He made only one birdie while surrendering shots through five bogeys and three double bogeys, a combination that severely hampered his bid to stay in contention.
Chris Remata likewise had little to celebrate, carding an 84 to share 97th place in the 118-player field.
The uneven start left the Philippine campaign heavily dependent on Dumdumaya, whose 73 kept him inside the projected five-over-par cut line. His position offered a measure of encouragement, but the 10-shot gap to Laopakdee underscored the scale of the challenge facing the Filipino bets as they look to regroup and mount a stronger showing in the remaining rounds.
With the opening-day results exposing the gap between their early promise and actual performance, the Filipinos now face an uphill task: tighten their games, limit costly errors, and produce more consistent rounds to keep their championship hopes alive.
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