FLAWLESS PERFORMANCE: Brilliant Thai sizzles with 65, posts 1-shot lead

CARMONA, Cavite — Sadom Kaewkanjana missed just one fairway and one green and still played the first round of the $500,000 Smart Infinity Philippine Open without a blemish in shooting a 5-under-par 65 for a one-shot lead over two of his countrymen and a Swede on Thursday at the Manila Southwoods course that bedeviled the talented Asian Tour field.

“I played very solid today and had many opportunities for birdies,” Kaewkanjana, a 26-year-old, two-time winner on Tour, said while Miguel Tabuena, Angelo Que and lady amateiur Rianne Malixi all had their troubles over the layout where the winds howled and punished many.

Tabuena, who says that this tournament holds a special place in his heart, fired a 74 and was the first to say that he needs to do something special in the second round on Friday to make the weekend.

“It was one of those days,” the 30-year-old Tabuena, who had a double bogey, five bogeys and three birdies, said.

“I wasn’t as sharp as I wanted to be. For some reason I wasn’t comfy out there today.”

“Anything under par (for the second round),” Tabuena said when asked what it would take to ensure playing in the final two days.

Other bright local hopes Justin delos Santos and Que went separate ways in the morning when conditions could be considered benign, with Delos Santos matching par “while leaving a few ones out there,” and Que shooting a 75 marred by two double bogeys.

“Good thing is that there’s still a second round to be played,” Que, the 2008 champion, said.

Meanwhile, lady amateur Malixi had what she said was a “brutal day,” as she submitted a 75 to be 10 shots off the lead and also be in the bubble for the halfway cut.

“I was hitting it straight and pretty much rolling the ball well,” Malixi, who turns 18 on 9 March, told reporters. “I just had four bad holes and that practically was my round. Right now I am in the grey area, I just have to find more fairways (in the second round) to have a chance (of advancing).”

Danthai Boonma also returned a bogey-free round of 66, tied with another Thai in Pavit Tangkamolprasert and Swede Aaron Wilkin, who missed claiming a tie for the lead in a late-afternoon flight when he didn’t birdie the par-5 eighth.

Aidric Chan and Sean Ramos, young pros who played their amateur careers out of the host club, submitted 68s to carry the fight for the Philippines.

Justin delos Santos, the Japan Tour standout, salvaged a 70 even after failing to cash in on several birdie opportunities coming home.

“I sure left a couple of strokes out there today,” Delos Santos said.

“It played really tough out there.”