Clavecilla pads lead

IGGY Clavecilla struggled with a three-over par 74 but padded his four-stroke lead to seven as his chief rivals fared even worse under tough playing condition at the Riviera’s Langer course in the second round of the Philippine Seniors Amateur Golf Championships yesterday.

After dominating the field with a solid two-under par 69 Wednesday, Clavecilla kept his poise and stayed even par through 11 holes with four birdies and four bogeys.

The Luisita mainstay dropped three strokes in the last seven holes but that proved enough to put him closer to even extend his lead and close in on a third straight Open championship with a 143 aggregate.

Tommy Manotoc limped home with a 79 and slid to third place, nine strokes behind at 152 while Dave Hernandez took second spot, although the former pro and Putra Cup individual winner will have a lot of catching up to do to frustrate Clavecilla from annexing a third straight win in the annual event conducted by the National Golf Association of the Philippines.

Hernandez, who carded a 74 in the first round, mishit his tee-shot on the par-3 No. 17 and wound up with a double-bogey, finishing with a 76 for a 150, seven strokes adrift.