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Murakami’s 62 smashes TCC record
Written by staff   
Saturday, 24 January 2009 01:50

Artemio Murakami described it as a round that comes just once a year.

The flamboyant 25-year-old gunned down nine birdies and set a new course record of eight-under-par 62 Thursday for a five-shot lead over Angelo Que after the first round of The Country Club Invitational here.

“This is not easy to do,” Murakami said in Filipino, after submitting a 30-32 card that had just one bogey. “This is my first course record. Once a year, a round like this comes, like today when the course played easy.”

Five birdies in the first eight holes, including a string of three from the sixth ignited the hot round of the burly Murakami, one of the youngest RP Amateur champions at 15 and the winner of the Asian Tour’s 2007 Johor Open where he bagged $47,550 (P2.23 million).

The surprisingly windless day left the 7,198-yard gem south of Manila practically defenseless as it yielded 10 sub-par rounds and three 70s.

Angelo Que, the champion in 2007, had an eagle-spiked 67, while Rey Pagunsan, Jay Bayron and his brother Rufino all shot 68s to set up what could be one of the lowest halfway cuts in the seven-year history of the lucrative event.

Defending champion Juvic Pagunsan fired a 69 like Marlon Dizon, Elmer Salvador, Mars Pucay and amateur Tonlits Asistio.

It was Pagunsan’s 64, set during the 2005 Southeast Asian Games, which Murakami obliterated to boost his drive for the P1.35-million top prize.

Benjie Magada, Michael Bibat and RP team mainstay Ferdie Aunzo all matched par 70 while former winner Antonio Lascuña and former RP Open champion Robert Pactolerin were in a huge group that submitted 71s, the same card of lady amateurs Anya Tanpinco and Chihiro Ikeda.

Frankie Miñoza, the legend who lost in a playoff to Pagunsan in 2006, fired a 72, and so did 2005 winner Jherome Delariarte, pro-bound former RP Am titlist Anthony Fernando and two others.

Murakami hit a 5-wood on the 232-yard par-3 11th and holed out from 15 feet to start another three-birdie binge before dropping a stroke on the 16th when he missed the green and failed to rescue par from three feet.

Que, the reigning RP Open champ, had four birdies to go with an eagle 3 on the 14th, where he blasted a 3-wood from 260 yards to within 2 feet.

The first-round scores:

62—A. Murakami 30-32; 67—A. Que 35-32; 68—R. Pagunsan 37-31, R. Bayron (Am) 33-35, J. Bayron 33-35; 69—A. Asistio (Am) 36-33, E. Salvador 36-33, M. Dizon 35-34, J. Pagunsan 34-35, M. Pucay 34-35; 70—D. Zarate 35-35, B. Magada 35-35, F. Aunzo (Am) 35-35; 71—M. Bibat 36-35, O. Sumcad 36-35, A. Tanpinco (Am) 35-36, A. Lascuña 35-36, E. Quiachon 35-36, C. Ikeda 35-36, R. Pactolerin 33-38; 72—J. Delariarte 36-36, R. Marabe 38-34, F. Minoza 35-37, A. Fernando (Am) 35-37, J. Laput 33-39; 73—G. Bondoc 39-34, C. La’O 38-35, E. Saban 36-37; J. Bernis 37-37, R. Sinfuego 37-37, D. Becierra (Am) 37-37, R. Sangil 34-40; 75—C. Casas 39-36, O. Dungca 39-36, R. Depilo 37-38, L. Manalo (Am) 37-38, D. Sanchez 37-38.
 
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