TARLAC — England’s Thomas Plumb fired a flawless eight-under-par 64 to seize the first-round lead in the BingoPlus Philippine ADT Open on Wednesday, but American Brent Ito provided the day’s most compelling story after overcoming a passport scare to stay in the hunt at Luisita Golf and Country Club.
Ito carded a five-under 67 just two days after misplacing his passport following dinner at SM Tarlac.
“I have this stupid habit of putting my cash inside my passport, which I lost after paying my bills,” Ito recalled.
The American of Japanese-Korean descent endured a sleepless night before his passport was returned the next day.
“It’s the greatest feeling,” he said.
Relieved and refocused, Ito carried the positive energy onto the course, producing a solid round highlighted by accurate driving and a string of birdie chances.
Luisita yields low scores
The Robert Trent Jones Sr. — designed layout came under heavy attack as players took advantage of preferred lies on the fairways due to soft course conditions. The rule allowed competitors to clean and place their balls, setting up ideal wedge approaches and numerous birdie opportunities.
Plumb, a 27-year-old Englishman seeking his first professional title, took full advantage, rolling in eight birdies without a bogey.
“I managed to hit every single green out there, which kind of made the day a little bit easier,” said Plumb, making his first visit to the Philippines.
“It’s super hot. The temperature seems similar to where I’ve been living in Bangkok.”
His birdie on No. 16 proved decisive, breaking a tie with Chinese Taipei’s Su-Ching Hung, who settled for a 65.
Hung, ninth in the Order of Merit standings, birdied his first three holes and closed with five birdies over his last six holes.
“Today is very hot,” Hung said. “Every shot I made was very good.”
Four players shared third place at 66 — Malaysia’s Marcus Lim, Japan’s Naoki Sekito, Macau’s Kelvin Si, and Korea’s Jaeil Kim.
Ito and Hong Kong’s Hoho Yue followed at 67.
Filipinos keep pace
Sean Ramos sparked the local challenge with an eagle bunker shot on the 12th hole en route to a four-under 68. He was joined at that score by James Ryan Lam, Fidel Concepcion, and amateur Shinichi Suzuki.
A group of seven Filipinos opened with 70s, including Angelo Que, Reymon Jaraula, Russel Bautista, Kristoffer Arevalo, Randy Garalde, Clyde Mondilla and Rupert Zaragosa.
With 57 players breaking par, the projected cut line hovered around even par, setting the stage for another low-scoring day at Luisita.
