Fernando, Ferrer pace Bill Shaw Memorial golf

MANILA, Philippines - Joel Fernando and Jun Ferrer combined for 87 points to emerge as top team in the overall rankings even as club president Ben Abalos and Roland Rotoni vaulted ahead in the chase for the Division 1 plum after the first round of the 26th Bill Shaw Memorial, the member-guest tournament of the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong.

Fernando and Ferrer, playing in Division 2, grabbed the upperhand in the tight chase for the overall net plum by a mere point over the tandem of Solomon Sy and Miguel Perlas, who are the leading pair in Division 4, after all first round scores from the West course of the full field of 576 players seeing action in the tourney presented by Mercedes-Benz, Shell and Delta Airlines had been turned over.

PAL, Mizuno, Jewelmer, The Glenlivet, Food Details Inc. are the platinum sponsors while gold sponsors are Pacific Links, Unilever Phils., Northern Islands Company Inc., Stradcom, RGB Ltd., Pldt Alpha Enterprise, Land Registration Authority, DKT International Inc., First Metro Securities, GSN+P Architectue Studio/Eco Solutions, Excellent Golfing Partners, Rimowa and Inada Family.

Hole sponsors of the event using two different formats for each course are The Plaza, Turf Company, JCA Security, Most Law Firm, Avesco Marketing Corp., Wack Wack Express, Yakult Philippines, Ayala Land, GG&A, Hydration Nation, Ecpay, Clear Blue, Sumometrics Inc., Zesto, Fontana Hot Spring Leisure Parks & Casino, Peerless Product Manufacturing Corp.

Abalos, meanwhile, also charged into contention with his partner Rotoni. They will carry a two-point lead over the tandem of Oliver Gan and pro-bound Tonlits Asistio into the final round where all entries tackle the tough East course and play shifting from aggregate to best-ball. The other leaders were Sherwin and Dominic Hing in Division 3 with their 83 points, good for a one-point lead over Gilbert Tan and Romeo Fuentes.

The four premium Mercedes-Benz cars up for grabs as hole-in-one prizes at the west were left untouched after the first two days of play. There will be two more - a GLK on the eighth and E200 on the 16th - to be disputed in the last two rounds.

All participants of the tourney will have the chance to bring home premium items to be given away in tonight’s awards ceremony including a Mazda 3, business class tickets for two to any US destination from Delta Airlines and to Narita, Japan from Philippine Airlines and so many other prizes.