Garalde, Monsalve pull off stunners

MANILA, Philippines, November 26 ------ Randy Garalde shook the opening day by scoring a commanding 7&5 victory over third seed Fidel Concepcion in the ICTSI The Country Club Invitational at the TCC in Laguna.

Ranked 30th in the 32-man field, Garalde walked into the match with nothing to lose and everything to gain. Under a steady drizzle, Garalde hit three birdies, several clutch par saves, and a flawless bogey-free card through 13 holes. “My driving, short game and putting were all good. I also saved a lot of pars, hit three birdies and no bogeys,” said Garalde, who bowed out in the first round last year after falling to Jay Bayron.

His clinical performance not only dismantled the fancied Concepcion – fresh from a breakthrough win at Apo and a No. 3 finish in the Order of Merit – but also propelled Garalde into a Round-of-16 showdown with Gabriel Manotoc, who earlier escaped Dino Villanueva in a tense 1-up duel. Meanwhile, top seed Angelo Que fended off an early push from Jerson Balasabas before taking control at the back nine and claiming a 4-up victory.

Que advanced to a second-round duel with Ryan Monsalve, who needed 21 holes to finally eliminate last year’s surprise champion Arnold Villacencio. There’s also a shocker in women’s play. Marvi Monsalve produced the most stunning result of the rain-hit Tuesday round by eliminating top seed Sarah Ababa, 3&2. Originally outside the elite 16-player roster, Monsalve was elevated into the field only after Princess Superal and Chihiro Ikeda withdrew to compete in the Japan Q-School. She took full advantage of the opportunity.

Source: philstar.com