Jerson Balasabas charged back from an early mishap in one of the late flights with a cluster of birdies but fumbled with a closing bogey for a 67 and dropped to a four-way tie with Orlan Sumcad, Jobim Carlos and Joenard Rates at the start of the rich ICTSI Villamor Philippine Masters at the Villamor Golf Club yesterday.

Bracing for a long, arduous day after a bogey on No. 2 of the tight, tree-lined layout, Balasabas, who placed eighth here last year, quickly turned his faulty three-putt start into a fiery attack, rattling off seven birdies in the next 13 holes in the wind but missing grabbing the lead with that late-hole miscue after an errant drive.

That slipped him instead to a crowded leaderboard that includes the power-hitting Sumcad, the young Carlos and the diminutive Rates, while unheralded Albin Engino carded a 68 for solo fifth, multi-titled Jay Bayron stood a shot farther back at 69 and veterans Rey Pagunsan, Mars Pucay and Gerald Rosales also shot 70s for joint seventh in the early going of the P3 million event sponsored by ICTSI.

“I really practiced a lot for this Masters and in preparation for the PGT Asia,” said Balasabas while putting premium on driving and putting in tackling a tricky course as Villamor.

“You have to have a solid drive here and be able to make the putts,” added Balasabas, who hit 10 fairways and missed just three greens.

Only four others were able to go under-par with 71s, including Keanu Jahns, Rene Menor, Arnold Villacencio and Japanese Eiichiro Hiyama, while Jhonnel Ababa, Art Arbole, Anthony Fernando, Elmer Salvador, Richard SInfuego and Dutch Guido Van der Valk matched par 72s, as the rest of the starting 108-player field struggled in hot condition in the morning and wavered in windy afternoon play.

But Balasabas, seeking an end to a long winless campaign in the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc., bucked the odds and even looked poised to a scorching windup after gunning down four birdies, including three straight from No. 13, to go six-under. But after back-to-back pars, the former national amateur standout bogeyed the par-5 closing hole, enabling Sumcad, Carlos and Rates to share opening day honors in the fabled event which held its revival last year.

But while Balasabas, Sumcad, Carlos and Rates sizzled, early local favorites Clyde Mondilla, Tony Lascuña, and The Country Club Invitational champion Micah Shin of the US failed to break par.

Lascuña, a many-time PGT Order of Merit winner who posted three victories last year, failed to match Carlos’ superb start in one of the featured flights with a wobbly finish of two bogeys in the last four holes. He ended up with a 73 for joint 20th.

Mondilla, whose come-from-behind one-stroke victory over Lascuña, Jhonnel Ababa and American Nicholas Paez here last year anchored his Order of Merit romp, continued to grope for form coming off a slump in the early going of the season, fumbling with five bogeys against a bogey after 14 holes and out of early contention in the 72-hole championship backed by BDO, KZG, Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, Sharp, Champion, Summit Mineral Water and PLDT.

But he recovered a bit with an eagle at the par-5 18th, moving him to a share of 25th with 10 others at 74 but seven strokes behind the leaders.

Shin, who humbled the cream of the local pro crop and a host of foreign aces in the TCC Invitational last February, also struggled all day with three bogeys against a final hole birdie to join Mondilla in the big two-over par group.