Day of survival up as top NTCC seeds pull out easy triumphs  

Matet Salivio needs just 12 holes to win. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

The top seeds in all three divisions advanced with relative ease on Thursday at the Dye layout of Eagle Ridge, the relative calm before the storm, as the National Tournament of Club Champions presented by Lexus practically turns into a battle for survival.

Roy Nudalo, the men’s No. 1, Matet Salivio, the women’s top seed, and top ranked senior Kyung Young-jung played just a combined 36 holes in the first round of the match play stages to advance as they would now need to carve out two victories on Friday at the Aoki course to make the title match.

There were other lopsided results, and a couple of enthralling ones, like what Chris Tan of Apo Golf churned out against CJ Park of Forest Hills. Tan, the lone provincial entry left standing, rallied from four holes down with six left to play before posting a 1 up win and sealing a match with Southwoods champ Manfred Guanko.

Defending men’s champion Gary Sales earned a breather of sorts when Justin Tambunting didn’t show up for their first round match. The 43 year old hopes to maximize the break he got with the kind of day the field faces Friday.

“It’s a virtual survival of the fittest,” Sales told the Inquirer in Filipino, referring to the 36-hole day. “Imagine this kind of heat and the pressure we will all be playing with. It’s going to be a very tough day for everyone.”

Nudalo scored a 6&4 win over Genard Villalon, while Salivio, who like Sales is shooting for a back-to-back and fourth title overall, creamed Razel Standal of Royal Northwoods, 7&6. Young, meanwhile, demolished Raffy Sempio, 9&8.

Jonar Austria faces Henry Bolano in a match up between the second and fourth men’s seeds, respectively, with the winner of the pairing advancing to face the winner of the Sales-Chuchu Martinez tiff.

Austria had an easy time against Norman dela Peña, 7&5; Bolano pulled out a 4&3 win over Ricky delos Santos of Veterans, while Martinez, another ex-pro, demolished Tagaytay Midland’s Jay Laurel, 7&5.

Salivio will be up against Marianne Bustos, a 4&2 winner over Annika Cruz, in the quarterfinals in the morning, with the winner advancing to face the survivor of the Marianna Reyes-Ae Roh-kyung match.