Golf: Angelo Que plummets to 67th in India

Angelo Que of the Philippines failed to sustain his fine form from the early going, finishing with a disappointing one-over-par 73, seven shots behind joint leaders Alejandro Canizares of Spain and Scotland’s Peter Whiteford, in the first round of the Avantha Masters in New Delhi, India.

 

The 33-year-old Que, the former Philippine Open champion in 2008, sailed with three birdies as against one bogey in the initial six holes, only to lose all the gains coming home with dropped shots at the ninth, 15th and 17th holes. He now sits on a tie for 67th place.

                

Filipino Mars Pucay did no better with a two-over 74 and is in danger of missing the weekend rounds. He was at one-under in 11 holes, but disaster struck on bogey mishaps on numbers 12, 14 and 16, good only for a share of 88th in the tri-sanctioned event by the Asian Tour, European Tour and the Professional Golf Tour of India.

                

Canizares, a one-time European winner, and Whiteford set the early tone as they matched six-under-par 66, in the 1.8-million Euros (Php 100.9 million) Avantha Masters tournament, now the richest in terms of prize fund staged at the DLF Golf and Country Club.

 

Whiteford had five birdies in his back-nine including four straight from the 10th to the 13th that put him on top. He shot a 35 at the turn after mixing two birdies against one bogey, but hurled himself back into contention with a sparkling homeward run.

 

Italy’s Federico Colombo was a further shot back in third place after he signed for a 67 while Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Thongchai Jaidee are bunched in fourth place alongside four other players that include India’s Himmat Rai on 68s. — AD/RSJ, GMA News