By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Luisita and Canlubang returned to their familiar places going into the final round of the Philippine Airlines (PAL) Senior Interclub at the Bacolod Golf Club.

Luisita, getting 53 points from Ferdie Barbosa, shot a second-straight 145 points to tie Canlubang for the lead with an identical 419 points, just a point ahead of defending champion Del Monte.

Erstwhile leader Bacolod Team B had slipped into a tie with the Manila Southwoods for fourth place, both teams at 416 points apiece.

Barbosa, who carded a steady round with one birdie and two bogeys, got strong support from teammates Marty Ilagan (47) and Chino Raymundo (45) as Luisita bounced back from a tough opening round at the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club.

“After being down by eight on the first day, we believed we had the stronger team for the second and third days,” Luisita non-playing captain Jeric Hechanova said.

“Luckily, our strategy worked, and we’re tied with Canlubang going into the final day,” he added.

Canlubang remained strong, with balanced scoring from Rolly Viray (48), Abe Rosal (47) and Abraham Avena (45), keeping them in the thick of the race.

Del Monte matched Luisita’s 145 points behind Arsenio Mondilla’s 51, Crispin Aparilla’s 49 and Romeo Jaraula’s 45.

The Bacolod Team B, the founders division leader, is still in the hunt for history, despite a four-point penalty for pick-up rule violations.

Julius Susarno followed up his impressive 58-point performance with 52, leading Bacolod, but his teammates faltered, with Primitivo Tabujara and Allan Magallanes contributing only 40 and 39, respectively.

The Manila Southwoods remains a serious threat, having posted a gutsy 140 points at Binitin.

Joseph Tambunting shot 48, Monet Garcia added 47 and Judd Roy chipped in with 45.

With 416 points overall, Southwoods is only three points off the lead./ASC, WDJ