Luigi Paolo Wong carried the day for the Philippines at the start of the golf competition of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Monday.
The 23-year-old pride of La Trinidad, Benguet rallied with four birdies at the back nine to salvage a two-under-par 70 and put himself in solid contention for the elusive gold medal.
Wong, a standout of San Jose State University, made three bogeys against a lone birdie to reach the turn on 2-over 38.
But he started with back-to-back birdies on his way home and added birdies on 14 and 16 to trail Vietnamese Khanh Hung Le and Malaysian Malcolm Ting Siong Hung by one shot.
Filipino-British Enrique Dimayuga closed with consecutive bogeys to settle for 73 and a tie for 12th place.
He opened with back-to-back birdies but bogeyed 4 and 6 to make the turn on even par.
Dimayuga started his homeward trip with four straight pars before he birdied 14 only to finish bogey-bogey.
Filipino-American Jaden Dumdumaya, the youngest team member at 16, had a shaky front nine with an opening bogey and two closing bogeys before mixing two birdies with two bogeys coming home for a 75.
Aidric Chan, on the other hand, carded a 76 behind three birdies against seven bogeys.
Alone in third was Aloysa Atienza who turned in a 71.
In women’s play, Rianne Malixi and Lois Kaye Go slipped seven shots off the pace after scoring identical 74s.
Malixi, who started at the back, reached the turn on 1-under but unraveled going home with a bogey on 1 and a double bogey on 6.
Go, on the other hand, fired an eagle and a birdie against five bogeys.
Mafy Singson had two birdies against five bogeys for a 75.
Malaysian Ng Jing Xuen stormed in front with a 67, two shots ahead of Thai Eila Galitsky.
Alone in third was Aloysa Atienza who turned in a 71.
