South Korea’s Ji Sung Cheon dished out an aggressive opening round in the Philippine Golf Tour Qualifying School, carding a 69 to take the lead at the challenging Splendido Taal Golf Club in Laurel, Batangas on Tuesday.
Ivan Monsalve rebounded from a shaky front-nine 38 by delivering a five-birdie surge starting from the 10th hole to finish with a 70 to trail Cheon by just one stroke.
Meanwhile, Carl Corpus overcame a late-round struggle to salvage a 71, joining Jaehyun Jung and Atsushi Ueda in a tie for third in the early stages of the 72-hole eliminations organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.
Cheon, 19, capitalized on an early tee time to navigate the course before the afternoon heat and wind intensified, allowing him to outperform his rivals in the 112-player field.
Making his debut in the local tour qualifier, Cheon showcased consistency and dominated the challenging up-and-down layout with birdies on holes 1, 6, 7, 12, and 13.
But his momentum was disrupted by firm greens, leading to three-putt miscues on Nos. 14 and 15. Cheon recovered with pars to close out a 33-36 round, securing a one-stroke lead over the late-charging Monsalve.
“My score is a bit lower than I expected,” said Cheon. “I hit all the greens on the front nine, so I just kept a patient mindset. If I had a chance for a birdie, I’d go for it, but otherwise, I played it safe with two putts from long range. That’s the key to my game.”
Despite a strong start, Cheon rued his missed par opportunities on the back nine. “I hit both 14 and 15 in regulation but made three-putt mistakes,” he said.
Looking ahead, Monsalve emphasized the importance of consistency in his driving, stating, “I need to hit more fairways, and I want my short game to be a little more solid.”
Corpus appeared headed to take control of the opening round with four birdies in his first 10 holes.
However, a double bogey on the par-5 11th, followed by a dropped shot on the next hole, set him back, leading to a final score of 33-38.
With 54 holes remaining, the race for the top 60 spots—and a place on the Philippine Golf Tour—remains wide open.
The 10-leg circuit kicks off on Monday, preceded by the traditional pro-am tournament on Sunday that will feature a select group of pros, amateur players, and guests from the sponsoring ICTSI.
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