WHEN Pinewoods finally showed its teeth, Lloyd Go responded with his best golf.
After capitalizing on calm conditions in the opening round disrupted by several fog delays, Go showed he could thrive when the course turned brutally difficult, firing the day’s only under-par round – a five-under 67 – to blow the ICTSI Pinewoods Challenge wide open, storming away by nine strokes over Jeffren Lumbo after 36 holes at Pinewoods Golf and Country Club in Baguio on Wednesday.
The mists that greeted players in Tuesday’s opening round had disappeared. In their place came the dreaded Pinewoods winds, sweeping across the mountain layout from every direction and turning an already demanding course into a relentless test of survival. Scores soared throughout the day as gusts bent flagsticks and punished even slightest misses.
Everyone struggled – except Go.
Fresh off a two eagle-laden opening 64 that gave him a three-shot cushion despite having no prior competitive experience on the course, the Cebuano ace displayed an even more impressive performance under brutal conditions. After a birdie-bogey exchange from No. 2, he caught fire in the middle stretch with six birdies over nine holes, offsetting another miscue on the 16th for a brilliant 32-35 card that stood as the day’s lone sub-par effort.
His two-day total of 13-under 131 not only tripled his overnight advantage over Lumbo but also underscored the completeness of his game as Pinewoods demanded precision, patience and composure.
“I think I played better today,” said Go, whose 67 came despite shooting three strokes higher than his opening-round 64. “But the wind was so strong today, so overall, I think my game was better today than yesterday.”
Go’s ability to keep the ball in play proved the biggest difference. While much of the field battled recovery shots from awkward lies and wind-blown misses, he consistently found fairways and left himself manageable approaches, allowing his sharp short game and confident putting to take over.
“My short game and putting have been really good today and I haven’t lost the ball, so I’m always in the fairways or when I miss, I’m always on the side where I have a shot on the green,” he said. “I think keeping it in play really helped me.”
He could have padded his lead to double digits had he avoided a mishap on the par-3 No. 16, but by then the damage had long been done as one contender after another came back rattled by the relentless mountain winds.
Still, Go isn’t looking too far ahead.
Seeking his second Philippine Golf Tour title following his breakthrough victory at Palos Verdes in 2024, he remains wary of the final 36 holes despite his commanding position.
“I’ll try to play my best,” said Go of his approach for the last two rounds.
