Cebuano ace Lloyd Jefferson Go nabbed the top seed as he put up a two-under 70 in the third MVPSF Visayas Regional Match Play Championship yesterday at the Cebu Country Club in Banilad.
Go, the Seton Hall University ace who got off to a slow start in the first round with an even-par 72, went on a birdie-binge starting from hole No. 7, en route to a 35-35 card for an aggregate score of 142, giving him low medal honors in the 36-hole stroke play eliminations.
Peter Tyler Po blew a strong start of 35 with a 40 on the back nine but his 75 still netted him the second spot at 148 while Paolo Wong finished in third at 149 after an identical 75. Opening round leader Carl Corpus stumbled with an 80 after a 70 for a 150.
On the distaff side, it was Nicole Fleetwood who topped the women’s category with a 154 after a 76. She got past Angela Mangana, who also had a 154 after a 79, in the countback for low medal honors.
First round leader Junia Gabasa could not sustain her first round brilliance with an 82 yesterday and dropped to fourth behind sister Irina, who also edged her in the countback after an 80-156.
Others who advanced to the knockout phase were Riko Nagai (81-163), Grace Quintanilla (85-166), Weifang Gao (87-179), Jhana Abella (93-186), Wilma Fantonial (100-95) and Ashley Llena (100-199).
After the first round of the match play today, the qualified golfers will brace for the grueling stage with two matches set tomorrow, the morning quarters and the semis in the afternoon.
The finals will be on Friday and will be played over 36 holes on both sides.