DAVAO – Marvin Dumandan bucked an opening bogey mishap with a cluster of tap-in birdies at the back, firing a five-under par 67 and posting a whopping four-stroke lead over fellow local bet Elmer Salvador and amateur Alvin Engino at the start of the ICTSI Apo Golf Invitational at the Apo Golf and Country Club here yesterday.
Dumandan, the former national team standout, came through with superb iron shots after that opening hole bogey, blitzing the backside with three gimme birdies and a couple more from three feet to complete a round of 36-31 for the lead in the P1 million tournament, the third leg of the local circuit’s revival put up by ICTSI.
He was among those who teed off late after arriving only yesterday morning from Thailand where they were airlifted after getting stranded following their stint in last week’s Thailand Masters. But the lack of practice hardly hampered his performance as Dumandan simply flashed his familiarity with the soggy par-72 course he calls home.
“This course requires precision and my iron game clicked at the backnine,” said Dumandan, a former caddie here who used his 3-wood off the tee majority of the way to keep his ball in play, in Filipino.
It was Dumandan’s best start in a tournament of this magnitude, putting himself way ahead of the pack that included fancied local hero Cassius Casas, who struggled with a three-over 75 despite playing on preferred lies and Robert Pactolerin, the second leg champion at Sherwood, who hobbled home with a 76.
Elmer Salvador, another local talent, took the challenger’s role by firing a one-under 71 for a share of second with another club bet Elmer Saban and amateur Alvin Engino.