THE 2026 BingoPlus Philippine Asian Development Tour Open got off to a scorching start as 132 of the world’s best golfers finally got to show off their competitive fire at the sprawling fairways of the Luisita Golf and Country Club in Tarlac on Wednesday, June 17.
Englishman Thomas Plumb saved the best for last as he snuck up to solo first on the jampacked leaderboard at the very end of the afternoon session with a masterful 8 under par for a 64 total heading to a crucial second round Thursday, June 18.
Chinese Taipei’s Su Ching-Hung, likewise one of the afternoon session’s shining stars, soared to second with a 7 under par for a 65 total, dislodging a morning session triple tie by Naoki Sekito of Japan, Marcus Lim of Malaysia, and Jaeil Kim of South Korea.
Filipinos were no slouches on home turf as well, as young phenom Sean Ramos and James Ryan Lam settled for a ninth-place tie at 4 under par for a 68 total, proving Pinoys can indeed turn “From Local Talent to National Pride.”
Still, it was Plumb who set the gold standard heading to the second round with a no-bogey stampede of the Luisita greenery, laced with five birdies on the back nine to seize the day’s lead. The 27-year-old, however, chalked up his day’s fortune to just plain old execution.
“It was a good day from the start, really. I managed to hit every single green out there, which kind of made the day a little bit easier. The birdies kept coming after that, through nine, and then, the back nine just kept going, and then it was kind of really steady,” Plumb said after the session. “It sounded like a cliche, but it was just, I just played pretty well. It was perfect.”
Plumb also gave high praise to BingoPlus, the number one and most trusted Filipino online entertainment platform, for its stellar execution of the event, and for elevating Philippine golf to a global standard that players like him bring to the local turf.
“Yeah, it's been brilliant. I think there's a lot of talent here. I played with a couple of local guys in the practice rounds, and I think it’s obviously ran really well here in the country. The golf seems brilliant,” he quipped.
“The golf courses seem good, and then obviously ADT as well, and they run it really well, and it's been brilliant this year. Should be a fun year as well.”
The high-level eliminations continue through Thursday morning, as the players determine their ranks and their chances at getting the lion’s share of the huge USD 100,000 prize pool.
Ramos and Lam, as well, would be hard-pressed to keep up their torrid streak to begin their hometown run, as the top two Filipino finishers are guaranteed spots to the 2026 BingoPlus Philippine Open by the International Series in November later this year. (PR)
