DAVAO CITY — Kuresh Samanodi is making a strong case for his inclusion in the Philippine Golf Tour.
A day after his eagle-aided 69, he made a bogey-free 70 on Wednesday to take the driver’s seat and gain inroad in the PGT Q-School.
Erstwhile co-leader Ozeki Kakeru faltered with a 77 and local amateur standout Aidric Chan made a strong push for one of the 30 spots up for grabs.
In a topsy-turvy second round, Samanodi displayed composure and precision, carding birdies on Nos. 2 and 10 to produce a pair of 35s at the South Pacific Golf and Leisure Estates course.
The 30-year-old Samanodi, who hails from Cotabato, claimed a one-stroke lead with a five-under 139, surpassing amateur Drew Proctor of the United States.
“I had a better round yesterday, but the greens are hard to read here,” said Samanodi in Filipino.
He acknowledged the difficulty of reading the greens, despite missing a few birdie opportunities, including a four-footer on No. 17.
“Even if I missed birdie opportunities, I made pars,” he added. “I am so confident with my game plan and I’ll just keep on doing that. Just hope to play much better in the last two rounds.”
Proctor, who narrowly missed the first-round honors due to a double bogey on No. 18, endured a roller-coaster round that featured six birdies against four bogeys but ended up with a second straight 70 for solo second at 140.
Chan, meanwhile, mounted a late charge, gaining strokes on Nos. 16 and 17 to turn a one-over card into a one-under 71, propelling the former Junior World champion to solo third at 143.
In contrast, American Collin Wheeler surrendered a two-under card with bogeys on Nos. 13 and 16, finishing with consecutive 72s for fourth at 144, while Korean amateur Min Hyeok Yu fought back from a 74 with a 71 spiked by three birdies in the first seven holes for a 145.
Kakeru, who also gunned down an eagle to match Samanodi’s 69 Tuesday, settled for a two-birdie round but faltered with a double bogey and five bogeys, including three straight from No. 14. His 77 dropped him to a share of sixth at 146 with Joseph Labajo, who recovered from an opening 76 with a 70.
Japanese Kei Matsuoka struggled with a 75 and fell to eighth at 147.
Kristoffer Arevalo also bounced back strong from a 79 with an impressive 69, including four birdies in a six-hole stretch from No. 7. He stormed past a slew of rivals to seize solo ninth at 148 while Ramil Bisera carded a 71 for a share of 10th at 149 with Korean Gwon Minwook and former two-time Q-School topnotcher Toru Nakajima of Japan.
Minwook struggled with a 76 while Nakajima shot a 73.
The Top 60 and ties from the 107-player starting field advanced to the final 36 holes where the Top 30 will gain Category 6 status in this year’s PGT organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. Those outside the Top 30 will be placed in Category 7.
The 10-leg circuit will start at the Apo Golf and Country Club next week.
Among the Filipinos who stayed in the hunt for the coveted PGT spots were Emilio Panimdim Jr. and amateur Michael Uy, who pooled 150s after 73 and 75, respectively, Randy Garalde and Carlos Packing, who matched 76s, and Edmar Salvador Jr. (79) for 151s, Paul Echavez (72), Allan Remata (76), and amateur Lanz Uy (76), who all assembled 152s, and Brent Sumampong, who had a 153 after a 76.
Tieing for 59th at 162 are Johvanie Abaño (78), GJ Katigbak (84), Koreans Chang Hoi Kim (83) and Minwoo Kim (78), amateur Marc Lu (83) and Jonas Magcalayo (84).
Among those who missed the cut were John Kier Abdon (79-163), Korean Gyuhyun Lim (80-162) and Aussie Peter Stojanovski (80-163), Leonard Lofranco (83-164), Nico Evangelista (79-165), Anthony Fernando (87-167), and Australian Nathan Park (83-167).
