ILOILO, Philippines, October 10 ------ Fidel Concepcion showcased his readiness for the bigger stage, firing a gritty 67 under windy conditions to maintain his two-stroke lead halfway through the ICTSI Iloilo Golf Challenge at the Iloilo Golf and Country Club here on Wednesday.
But two superb rounds are just the beginning for Concepcion, who faces a tough field of past winners, all eager to challenge and deny the latter a first victory in the Philippine Golf Tour after four years of close calls. “I have a pretty solid game plan, and I’ll stick to it,” said the confident 28-year-old, who posted a nine-under 131 total, two strokes ahead of Zanieboy Gialon, who delivered a sizzling six-under 30 on the front nine for a 64 and a 133 aggregate.
Another strong contender, Jhonnel Ababa, also charged up the leaderboard. His front-nine 31, capped by a 10-foot eagle on the par-4 sixth, earned him a tournament-best 63, placing him just three strokes behind Concepcion at 134.
Reymon Jaraula, Tony Lascuña and Guido van der Valk shared fourth place at 135, with Jaraula losing ground after a bogey on the eighth hole for a 68, the same output put in by Lascuña. Van der Valk salvaged a 70 to stay in the hunt. But Concepcion remained undeterred ahead of Thursday’s moving day, seeking to edge closer to his breakthrough win in the P2.5 million event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.
In ladies’ action, Sarah Ababa edged closer to her second PGT Tour victory this season with a blistering two-under 68, pulling ahead of erstwhile co-leader Chihiro Ikeda after 36 holes. With a 141 aggregate, Ababa stood a stroke ahead of Ikeda, who matched par 70 for a 142, and four up on Princess Superal.
Source: philstar.com
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