GEN. TRIAS, Cavite – Veteran Guido van der Valk leaned on his wealth of experience to navigate the wind-battered Faldo course, carding a hard-earned 69 to seize control after another grueling day in the ICTSI Eagle Ridge Championship here. The Manila-based Dutchman propelled himself halfway toward a mission of redemption, aiming to bounce back from a heartbreaking playoff defeat in The Country Club Invitational last January. From joint 16th and seven strokes behind, the two-time TCC Invitational champion surged to the top of the leaderboard with a two-over 146 total – a testament to the demanding nature of the Faldo course, which has tested the field’s skill, strategy and mental fortitude. A group of young challengers, however, stayed well within striking distance at 147, ensuring a tense battle ahead in the P2 million championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and sponsored by ICTSI. Lloyd Go, who matched par 72, and Sean Ramos and Hyun Ho Rho, who matched 73s, credited their improved putting for keeping them in the hunt in the second leg of the 10-stage Philippine Golf Tour. Go, in particular, positioned himself just a shot behind after a round that featured a fiery three-under card through his first six holes before a couple of costly mishaps. He birdied Nos. 11, 12 and 14 but stumbled with bogeys on Nos. 16 and 17 and double-bogeyed the par-5 No. 2 after a four-chip miscue. Ramos, meanwhile, kept himself in the mix despite a rollercoaster round of 35-38 marred by five bogeys against four birdies. But he attributed his better performance to his improved iron play. Rho, still in search of a maiden PGT crown since topping the Q-School in 2023, also kept pace with a four-birdie, five-bogey round, citing better shot-making that created more birdie opportunities. The unforgiving Faldo course, however, proved too much for erstwhile leader Ivan Monsalve, who crumbled with an 84 after a stunning lead-grabbing 71, tumbling to joint 18th at 155, now nine shots off the pace. Multi-titled Clyde Mondilla rallied with a 74 to join unheralded Jeffren Lumbo (75) at 150, while Pradera Verde leg winner Angelo Que recovered with a 74 for joint seventh with rookie pro Jaehyun Jung (76) at 151. Reigning five-time Order of Merit champion Tony Lascuña skied to a 77 after an opening 75 to fall to ninth at 152, while Carl Corpus clawed back from an 81 with a 72 to salvage a share of 10th at 153 alongside Kakeru Ozeki (77) and Ryan Monsalve (78). Corpus actually put himself in strong contention with a three-under card through 14 holes but faltered down the stretch under challenging conditions, stumbling with three bogeys in his last four holes to lose valuable strokes. Forty-one players made the cut at 159, with Belem Arancon carding an 80, Taewon Ha struggling with an 84, and Myung Chal Hwang submitting a 78. James Lam turned in a 77, Gerald Rosales signed for an 81, Orlan Sumcad managed a 75, Dino Villanueva settled for a 79, while amateur Bobe Salahog shot a 78, as they all shared 34th place. With two more rounds to go and the Faldo course showing no signs of relenting, the battle for the Eagle Ridge crown is far from over – especially with no lead safe in such brutal conditions.