Kazuo Murakami and Renie Floro combined for 84 points while Kenneth Kim and Ronnie Quimbo teamed up for 88 points as they set the early pace in the top two divisions at the start of the Southwoods Invitational at the Masters and Legends course in Carmona, Cavite, Wednesday.

Murakami and Floro, with a team handicap index of 22.1, complemented well under the Best Ball format at the Masters, seizing a four-point Division I lead over the tandems of King Stehmeier-Marvin Caparros and Louie Sajorda-Ryan Abdon, who matched 80 points after the first set of the two-batch play in the 36-hole tournament.

The event is supported by Platinum sponsors CWC International Corp., Calamba Doctors Hospital and Calamba Doctors College.

Kim and Quimbo, on the other hand, took charge in Division II, also at Masters, wresting a two-point lead over the pairs of Jun Woo Cho-Chang Hyun Park and Raymond See-Dennis Gamab, who posted identical 86 points under the Stableford Points scoring system.

Action in the host club's flagship tournament, which offers a Mitsubishi Triton GSL A/T and a Toyota Raize, plus other premium prizes, for hole-in-one feats, resumes Thursday featuring Batch 2 in sequential tee times starting at 6 a.m.

Batch 1 will resume play on Friday and the second to complete their 36-hole round on Saturday. The event drew a record field of 325 teams comprising 650 players.

Manila Southwoods chairman Bob Sobrepeña and Forest Hills general manager Raymond Bunquin produced 74 points under the Aggregate format at Legends as they tied Poch Hernandez and Antonio Otayz for the Division III lead, two points ahead of the teams of Steve Tycangco-Michael Tan To and Art Caronongan-Arthel Caronongan, who both made 72 points.

Gene Ynion and Armando Salva, meanwhile, surged ahead in Division IV with 74 points, also at Legends, with Jun Ymbong and Ariel Javelosa submitting a 73 and Gerry Handog and Jong Arcano combining for 72 points.

In Division V, JJ Atencio and Jake Ong scored 96 points at the Masters to seize a two-point lead over Manolo Agojo and Vicente Marquez, who carded a 94, while Toby Orqueza and Rod Liamzon turned in a 90 for third.