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Monday, July 31, 2006
Older Tabanas, Roa shine on Day 2 play
By Lynde Salgados
* As the defending champ starts date with destiny
IS HE destined to make it? Or somebody out there is going to spoil the party?
Questions like these began to prop out as back-to-back champion Tommy Tabanas finally took his flight Sunday amid gentle drizzles off a cloudy sky onward to his bid of completing a rare grandslam feat in the 7th Oro Open golf tournament at the Pueblo de Oro Golf and Country Club.
With a misty field of an exceptionally greeny landscape stretched over to a 72-par all-weather golf course awaiting his return after that spectacular two-year conquest in the Rotary West-backed event, Tabanas is in for a cool start to flirt with destiny.
"I think everybody gets thrilled watching him on the tee off ground. There's a lot of speculations but we'll know that later of the day," said Pueblo's resident scorer Ruben Gallenero.
Tournament Executive Committee chairman Noel Nalzaro won't be expecting a real threat for Tabanas' three-peat quest from 16 Korean nationals who registered on the first day since they were all given a zero handicap in the absence of certain record certifications from their respective golf organizations back home.
"They (Koreans) were among the competitors except that we'll not be giving them a handicap which would probably put them in great disadvantage," Nalzaro told Sun.Star.
Wing Wing Roa, who narrowly missed the hole-in-one jackpot worth an Isuzu XUV on par 3's hole No.13, shared the spotlight with Tommy's older brother Dr. Titan Tabanas on Day 2 action.
Roa turned in 44 and 41 for a two-day total of 85 points in leading the Class A (0-8) bracket. While the older Tabanas looked unmolested in taking the lowest gross with a combined 6-under performance of 138 egged by his 2-under breather on Thursday's opening of the prestigious tourney.
Tabanas is also third behind Roa and second-running Clifford Celdran (81) for the lowest net with his 78, just a point off Ludwig Ledesma who, in turn, leads Hector San Juan by five, 77-72 with the sixth place being shared by Jun Suan, Peter Seo and Roland Ramos with identical 71.
Roy Tancinco's 78 was enough to take the front in Class B (9-12) category, followed by Edu Alaba, Buddy Bacus and Mike Celdran at joint second with similar 76 points.
So far, the best Class C (13-17) scorers for the net are Ruben Vegafria (71), Ongki Chung (70) and Danny Rigor (67).
Class D's (18-27) co-leaders with 66 points each are Antonio Soriano and Felix Giovanni, followed by Henry Bacal and Chu Eng Sy with 65 and 63, respectively.
(July 31, 2006 issue)
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