2018 ICTSI Club Filipino De Cebu Invitational: Ababa 3-up as rain suspends play

Jhonnel Ababa hopes to cash in on his chances after the event was reduced to 54 holes

DANAO City, Cebu – Jhonnel Ababa needed just a par on the first hole to hike his lead to three as Kim Joo Hyung opened with a bogey before heavy rain suspended play in the third round of the ICTSI Club Filipino de Cebu Invitational here yesterday.

Dark cloud settled over the P3.5 million event early morning, bringing heavy rain that submerged some of the fairways and greens and rendered the course unplayable. Play was delayed for almost three hours before the organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. decided to suspend it and cancel the final round, reducing the tournament to a 54-hole affair.

Kim Joo Hyung will have a lot of catching up to do in the rain-shortened event

The unfinished third round will be completed starting at 7 a.m. today.

“Although the rain let up a bit, the forecast is for more rain for the rest of the day. Because of that, we don’t expect the course condition to improve,” said PGTI tournament director Andy Maglipon.

One round removed, Damien Jordan remains upbeat of his chances for a breakthrough

That gave Ababa’s title drive some kind of a push as he hiked his lead to three over Kim with hardly any effort. With a 69 and 66 plus a par, he kept a seven-under card with Kim dropping to joint second at four-under with Aussie Damien Jordan, who also parred the first hole, and Jerson Balasabas, who birdied No. 3 to go four-under overall before play was halted.

James Ryan Lam stood at three-under after an even-par card after three holes in the final stop of the four-leg Visayas swing, which also serves as the penultimate leg of the 10-stage Philippine Golf Tour put up by ICTSI.

Players head back to the clubhouse after play was suspended.

But if there’s one player ruing the stoppage, it’s American Pete Vilairatana, who birdied the first three holes, and Rene Menor, who hit two birdies in three holes, as they joined Zanieboy Gialon, who also birdied No. 3, at two-under overall.

Michael Bibat and Dino Villanueva posted identical one-under cards while Jobim Carlos parred the first three holes and stood too far behind Ababa at even par with Joenard Rates, virtually kissing his bid for a follow-up to his victory at ICTSI Iloilo last week goodbye.