BACOLOD – Tim Stewart of Australia marked his return to the Philippine Golf Tour in smashing fashion, shooting a four-under 66 then pouncing on fellow big-hitting Keanu Jahns’ late-hole miscues to wrest a one-stroke lead at the start of the ICTSI Iloilo Golf Challenge at the par-70 Iloilo Golf and Country Club here yesterday.

Back in the circuit after finishing fourth at PGT Asia Southwoods last June, Stewart leaned on his hot putter to produce seven birdies that negated a double-bogey and bogey on Nos. 3 and 13, respectively. But the 33-year-old winner of the recent Tahiti Open had to watch Jahns waver in the last two holes at the front to snatch the lead in the early going of the 72-hole championship sponsored by ICTSI.

“I putted well at the back side and hopefully, I’ll do better tomorrow (today),” said Stewart, who also placed fifth at PGTA Luisita and tied for 25th at PGTA Riviera.

Jahns came away with two pitch-in eagle feats on par-4 holes, the first spiking his big opening charge on No. 11 and the other on No. 6 that put him on top of the 71-player starting field at five-under. But the Fil-German shotmaker, one of the rising young guns in the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc., three-putted No. 8 and missed the last green, enabling Stewart to seize control.

“I got confused with the speed of the greens. My putts were way off in the last two holes, both going past the cup,” rued Jahns, who also shot four birdies against three bogeys at the back.

He settled for a 67 and dropped to joint second with PGT Asia Forest Hills leg winner Jhonnel Ababa, Elmer Salvador and Dutch Guido Van der Valk, while Jay Bayron, Clyde Mondilla, Erwin Arcillas, Dino Villanueva and Ramil Bisera turned in identical 68s to make it a crowded leaderboard in the third of four tournaments making up the Visayan swing of this year’s tour.

“I’m good and I think I have a chance here,” said Mondilla, the reigning PGT Order of Merit winner out to snap a long slump in the circuit he dominated with four victories last year.

“The course is not as easy as it looks, given the unpredictable greens,” said Salvador, winner of Tuesday’s pro-am tournament of the event backed by BDO, KZG, Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, Sharp, Champion, Summit Mineral Water and PLDT.

Jobim Carlos, whose two victories and two runner-up finishes in the last six tournaments have made him the target of the other bidders in the P3 million event, buckled down to work at the back with a birdie on No. 12, only to lose control of his game at the front that saw him bogey four holes with only a birdie to show. He hobbled with a two-over 72 and slipped to joint 30th with eight others, including fellow pre-tournament favorite Kim Joo Hyung of Korea.

Kim, who became the tour’s youngest winner at 16 when he edged Carlos by one at Pueblo De Oro last month, held an even par card with three holes left at the front. But he dropped three strokes on the par-4 seventh and needed to birdie the last to save a 72, six strokes adrift.

Like Carlos, former three-time OOM winner Tony Lascuña bogeyed Nos. 8 and 9 and limped with a three-over 73 for joint 39th with Zanieboy Gialon, Gerald Rosales, Darren Saqui and Junio Vesinica.

But while some of the big guns found the tight, hazard-laden layout not to their liking, others survived the challenge and salvaged par 70s to stay in early contention, including Richnell Albano, Marvin Dumandan, Charles Hong, Rolando Marabe Jr., Robert Pactolerin, Bacolod stop winner Justin Quiban, Paul Vesinica, Peter Stojanovski of Macedonia and American Lexus Keoninh and amateur Jason Zaragosa.

But the day belonged to Stewart, who set his title drive in motion with three birdies against a bogey then sandwiched a double-bogey on No. 3, where he hit his approach shot out of bounds, with birdies before hitting two more birdies in the last four to surge ahead.