Sep 30, 2026
Ryoma bucks heat, ‘discomfort’ to seize ICTSI Iloilo lead
MANILA, Philippines – Playing 18 holes in a bowtie under the sweltering heat of an exacting golf course is hardly the ideal recipe for a breakthrough.
Yet Miki Ryoma did just that Wednesday, shrugging off the discomfort – and seemingly everything else the Iloilo Golf and Country Club threw at him – to fire a near-flawless 66 and emerge as the bewildered leader halfway through the ICTSI Iloilo Golf Challenge here.
The 35-year-old Japanese kept his cool in conditions that tested patience and precision, matching the aggressive charge of a slew of local aces before pulling ahead by one with a clutch run of pars for a six-under 134, one stroke ahead of first-round leader Jhonnel Ababa.
“I hit all fairways, reached all greens and made five birdies against one bogey,” said the amiable Ryoma, whose assessment underscored the key to surviving the par-70 layout: “The most important thing on this course is the tee shot.” His performance was all the more remarkable considering the heat that replaced the stiff winds of the opening round, without making the course any less demanding. Tough pin placements, tight fairways, thick rough and slick greens continued to punish even the slightest lapse.
Ryoma, however, stayed within himself.
While most of the leading contenders opted for caution on a layout that demanded patience and precision, he continued to trust his long game, pulling the driver 10 times and consistently putting himself in position to attack.
“I didn’t play steady in the first round but hit it solid today. But you really have to be in the fairway to get a chance to make birdies,” said Ryoma, a Saitama native whose closest brush with a Philippine Golf Tour title came in his rookie campaign in 2016, when he lost to Tony Lascuña by one at Eagle Ridge.
A decade later, after a string of underwhelming finishes, Ryoma suddenly found himself just 36 holes away from the PGT crown that has eluded him.
But the Japanese journeyman knows there is still a long way to go.
Ababa, the opening-round leader, slipped to second at 135 after a 68, surrendering the top spot after a bogey on the first hole and a stretch of eight straight pars on the front nine.
“Sobrang hirap ng course at sobrang init. Hindi mo talaga masasabi kung gaganda ang score mo sa isang araw,” said Ababa, acknowledging the challenges and test that await each bidder in the P2.5 million championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, inc.
“Sa bandang dulo, medyo nag-play safe ako dahil hindi maganda ang tee shot,” said the former Order of Merit winner, adding that he never felt pressured, especially with his putting clicking.
Ira Alido made the biggest move of the day, turning in a fiery 65 to charge into contention at 136. After a bogey on No. 2, Alido caught fire, making six birdies over the next 16 holes to share third with fellow bemedalled campaigners Reymon Jaraula and Clyde Mondilla.
Jaraula and Mondilla had both been part of a four-way tie for the lead midway through the day but stumbled in the stretch. Jaraula suffered a double bogey on No. 13 and another bogey before checking the slide with a birdie on the 17th, salvaging another 68.
Mondilla looked poised to take control after a four-birdie burst on the front nine but wavered late, making two bogeys over the last four holes to settle for a second straight 68 and a share of third.
Art Arbole, meanwhile, continued his bid to build on last week's breakthrough in Negros Occidental, where he ended a 14-year wait for a PGT title. He was four-under with two holes left to play from No. 10 and appeared headed to pull within a stroke of Ryoma, only to bogey the eighth and scramble for par on the last for a 67.
Still, the round moved him to 137, just three shots off the pace, alongside Francis Morilla and Rupert Zaragosa, who carded 67 and 69, respectively.
The leaderboard remained tightly packed, with another group lurking just a shot farther back.
Young Kristoffer Arevalo shot a 67 to lead the 138 scorers, joined by James Ryan Lam, Jeffren Lumbo and Lakewood leg winner Justin Quiban.
Lam also briefly threatened to take control, reaching three-under with four holes left before a bogey on No. 7 and a double bogey on No. 8 knocked him back. He birdied the ninth to salvage another 69.
Lumbo, runner-up to Arbole last week, birdied two of his final six holes to likewise post a second straight 69.
Quiban, meanwhile, refused to be discouraged by his opening 72. After a bogey on No. 14, he bounced back, ripping off five birdies over the last 13 holes to shoot a 66 and thrust himself into the mix.
But for all the movement around him, the day ultimately belonged to Ryoma.
He matched Ababa's three-birdie burst from No. 10 before a three-putt bogey on No. 13 briefly halted his momentum. He responded by grinding out a string of pars, then picked up birdies on Nos. 3 and 5 before safely navigating the difficult closing holes.
The surprising part? Ryoma didn't even know he had taken the outright lead.
“I didn't know I'm in the top during the round, so I didn’t feel any pressure. I just wanted to play good on this course,” he said.
Perhaps that was just as well.
Ryoma arrived in Iloilo coming off a tied-18th finish in Negros Occidental, his best result in four PGT starts this season as he continues to shuttle between the Philippines and Japan, where he also competes.
And then there was the bowtie.
In the punishing Iloilo heat, Ryoma played the first 36 holes dressed in the unusual accessory, an idea he admits he hasn't exactly embraced.
“I really don’t like wearing it. I’m not comfortable,” he said with a smile, pointing at the bowtie.
His wife, however, has other ideas.
“She told me to wear it every round, every tournament,” he said.
Ryoma, who has built a modest following on YouTube, said his wife came up with the idea of adding something “extraordinary” to his look in hopes of giving him a distinctive presence on social media.
The bowtie certainly did that.
On Wednesday, though, it was Ryoma's golf that stole the show.
Despite the heat, the humidity and the awkwardness around his neck, he found the fairways, hit the greens, made the birdies when they mattered – and walked off the course with a one-shot lead and a genuine shot at the title.
The bowtie may have been his wife's idea.
The 66 was all Ryoma. TMT
