Lloyd Jefferson Go gets help from his sister and caddie, Lois Kaye Go, in reading the green during the first round of The Country Club (TCC) Invitational 2025 yesterday at the TCC course in Santa Rosa, Laguna.
Photograph by Joey sanchez Mendoza for the daily tribune @tribunephl_joey
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STA. ROSA, Laguna — Lloyd Go carded a three-under 69 in the opening round of The Country Club Invitational 2025 on Thursday, rallying to tie Dino Villanueva at the top despite challenging, blustery conditions at the TCC course here.
Go birdied three of the last five holes to showcase his strong finish in the opening round of this prestigious event put up by ICTSI chairman and chief executive officer Ricky Razon in honor of his father, Don Pocholo Razon.
Clyde Mondilla, despite a solid round, settled for a 70 and third place, lamenting missed opportunities on the par-5 holes.
Aidric Chan and Gwon Minwook both shot 71s to share fourth, keeping the leaderboard tight in the P6-million championship, the flagship tournament of the Philippine Golf Tour (PGT).
Coming off a breakthrough victory at PGT Palos Verdes last year, Go impressed in his 2025 debut. He remained focused on his game plan and executed his shots well, despite being in the final morning flight when the winds intensified.
“I hit it really good, the numbers were ideal for my full swings,” Go said.
Villanueva, starting strong with a scorching five-under 31 on the front nine, briefly surged ahead with four consecutive birdies starting from No. 2. However, he slipped with bogeys on Nos. 13 and 14.
“It was a good start, but I didn’t really mind the score. I just focused on my game,” Villanueva said.
Mondilla, the 2019 Philippine Open champion at TCC, posted five birdies and three bogeys but regretted not capitalizing on the par-5 holes.
“I just couldn’t put myself in the right places,” he said.
Gwon Minwook briefly moved to four-under after a birdie on No. 14, coinciding with Villanueva’s struggles. However, as the winds picked up, Gwon struggled to maintain his momentum.
“It was very calm early on, and it wasn’t too difficult to play,” he said.
Three-time TCC Invitational champion Angelo Que carded a one-over 73, finishing tied for sixth with Ryan Monsalve and Nilo Salahog. Jhonnel Ababa, Jay Bayron, Keanu Jahns, Reymon Jaraula, and Japanese player Saiya Suzuki all shot 74s, keeping them within striking distance.
Defending champion Tony Lascuña, battling a left arm injury, posted a 77.
Despite a costly double-bogey on the par-4 No. 9, Lascuña was not discouraged.
“I won’t feel too bad shooting five-over on this very difficult course,” he said.
“Even with this condition, I’m okay with my score.”
The first-round scores:
69 — Dino Villanueva, Lloyd Jefferson Go
70 — Clyde Mondilla
71 — Aidric Chan, Gwon Minwook
73 — Ryan Monsalve, Angelo Que, Nilo Salahog
74 — Jhonnel Ababa, Jay Bayron, Keanu Jahns, Reymon Jaraula, Daiya Suzuki
75 — Michael Bibat, Guido van der Valk
76 — Kakeru Ozeki, Rho Hyun Ho, Collin Wheeler
77 — Albin Engino, Tony Lascuna, Sean Jean Ramos
79 — Zanieboy Gialon, Rupert Zaragosa
80 — Fidel Concepcion, Randy Garalde, Kim Tae Soo
81 — Francis Morilla
83 — Ira Alido
85 — Russell Bautista
91 — Art Arbole.
