Clementer, Molde turn up heat in Junior PGT Bacolod Leg

BACOLOD – Intense tropical heat and a daunting tight layout couldn’t cool down the fire in Stephen Clementer and Soleil Molde as they braved tough conditions to seize control of their respective divisions at the start of the ICTSI Bacolod Junior PGT Championship here on Wednesday, June 3. With spots in the North vs South Grand Finals on the line, the short but tricky par-70 Binitin course tested the young golfers’ poise, turning the opening round of this penultimate stop of the six-leg regional series into a virtual survival of the fittest. Brimming with confidence following a recent playoff victory that snapped Ethan Lago’s three-leg winning streak at Pueblo de Oro, Clementer picked up right where he left off. Despite battling the heat and a cold putter, he ground out a gritty 80. A double-bogey on the challenging par-3 18th did little to dampen his position as he walked off with a commanding three-stroke cushion over Thomas Ngo, who shot an 83 with Ashton Araw-araw turning in a 93. The opening round tested not only the skills of the young competitors but also their adaptability, as the weather shifted dramatically from a scorching, humid morning to a gloomy, overcast afternoon swept by unpredictable gusts of wind. While Clementer sits comfortably at No. 3 in the Finals race, the stakes are high for his chasing pack. With Darren Ong (No. 4) and Marlou Langamin (No. 5) skipping this week’s action, the door is wide open for Ngo (No. 6, 14 pts) and Araw-araw (joint No. 7, 12 pts) to mount a critical, late-season charge into the coveted top-four qualifying spots. “My game was good. I practiced hard yesterday, and making sure I got enough rest afterward definitely paid off,” said Clementer in Filipino. “Moving into the final 18 holes, my goal...