Two share second-round lead at Apo
The Apo Golf layout bared its teeth for the second straight round on Wednesday, with three of the five players that shot day-best two-under-par 70s now occupying the top two spots in the ICTSI’s P3.5 million championship at the tree-lined gem in Davao.
Fidel Concepcion and James Ryan Lam grabbed a piece of the lead at 141 halfway through the 72-hole event, with Davao native Elmer Salvador lying a shot back in second after carving out a four-birdie, two-bogey round over the layout he started playing as a kid.
Antonio Lascuña also shot a 70 and is in a five-man group lurking just two shots off the pace, with South Korea’s Jung Jae-hyun tying defending champion Jonel Ababa at 145 after his version of a 70.
Meanwhile, Chanelle Avaricio zoomed to a commanding eight-shot lead in the accompanying ladies championship after shooting a 68.
With a 140 aggregate, Avaricio goes into the final round on Thursday trying to fend off Princess Superal, whose 73 gave her a 148.
Ababa, whose winning score last year was five-over 293, rebounded from an opening 74 with a 71 built around three birdies.
“It was a day-long grind,” said Lam, whose last win came at Luisita in 2018. “You really need to hit it better on this course. I’m just lucky I managed to keep my score together.”
Concepcion’s second-round effort was a great departure from how he played Apo on Tuesday, when he struggled on the hard greens.
“I didn’t have any three-putts today,” Concepcion said. “The course is playing tough, so it can really bite you hard.”
There are 11 more players within six shots of the lead, making weekend play interesting.
First-round leader Atsushi Ueda ballooned to a 76 after playing the front nine at 40 for a 146 like four others, counting American Collin Wheeler.
