Baguio CITY — Manila Southwoods Team-1 mounted an impressive comeback, erasing a four-point deficit to grab a two-shot lead over defending champion Luisita heading into the final round of the 74th Januarius Fil-Am Invitational seniors’ competition.

On Tuesday, Raul Miñoza and Manfred Guangko led the charge with 33 points each, while Jun Jun Plana and Theody Pascual contributed 32 and 29 points, respectively, for a total of 127 points at Camp John Hay Golf Club.

Southwoods now has 329 points after three rounds.

Southwoods captain Freddie Mendoza credited the success of the third round to the team’s game plan, which focused on taking it one flight at a time. “It worked,” he said, adding, “We will stick with this strategy for the final round.”

Luisita’s top performers, Benjie Sumulong and Abe Rosal, tallied 33 and 32 points, while Chino Raymundo and Ferdie Barbosa each added 28 points to bring the defending champion’s total to 121 and their cumulative score to 327.

Riviera also made a strong move, posting 129 points for a total of 320, seven points behind Luisita. Edwin Lee led the charge for the Silang-based club with 38 points, followed by Charlie Gim with 33.

While Luisita has lost its lead, the team remains the favorite to defend its title in the premier division.

“We’ll do our best to defend our title, and our players are confident they can bring their A-game in the final round. It will be an exciting day with at least three teams still in contention,” said Luisita captain Jeric Hechanova.

In the Am Championship, Manila Southwoods Team-2 maintained its stronghold on the top spot, adding 100 points at Baguio Country Club to bring their total to 327.

Srixon-IMG followed with 94 points, bringing their total to 320, while Greenwater Seniors took third with 307 after posting an 83.

“My guys have been steady, especially today,” Mendoza said.

“We need to maintain that steadiness for the final 18 at the tough BCC course.”

Championship Scores:

FIL Division:

Manila Southwoods Team-1 — 329

Luisita — 327

Riviera — 320

Forest Hills Nicklaus — 307

Summit Point — 263

AM Division:

Manila Southwoods Team-2 — 327

Srixon-IMG — 320

Greenwater — 307

Baguio Blue Bloods — 273

Leeward Fil-Am — 196