BACOLOD CITY — Tommy Manotoc, who won three of the last four individual championships, shot a nine-over par 79 Thursday, but still left the final green with a smile on his face.

The 60-year-old sportsman had just drained a 30-foot putt for his first birdie of the day, lifting defending champion Canlubang to a tie with rival Luisita for the lead in the championship division of the Philippine Airlines Seniors Interclub golf tournament.

Dry, windy conditions made scoring difficult at the par-70 Marapara golf course, allowing Orchard, playing at the more receptive Binitin, to grab the surprise overall lead with 136 points.

Louie Garcia fired 55 points – one-under par in stroke play – to lead Orchard. Other scorers were Ed Abesamis and Mel Malabanan with 41 and 40 points, respectively.

Orchard, which competes in the second tier Founders Division, is not expected to hold on to the lead, however, when it takes it turn at Marapara.

Two other Founders teams – Eagle Ridge (132) and Alabang (130) – also bettered the 129 scores of Canlubang and Luisita.

Manotoc’s 79 – 45 points under the Molave scoring system – was one stroke shy of the day’s best score at Marapara posted by Clyde Cabrero of Camp John Hay.

Luisita’s Iggy Clavecilla, still mourning over the death of his mother-in-law, matched Manotoc’s score despite lack of practice.

“Per de gana yata ang laban,” Manotoc laughed as he joined his teammates in the clubhouse.

Per de gana is a local board game where a player gives up all his pieces to win.

Manotoc, who picked up on No. 10, his first hole, blamed the dry fairways and soft greens for the high scores.

“There are portions where the lies are soft, but most of the time, you’re hitting your shots in dry areas. It’s hard to control the ball,” said Manotoc who chunked his approach on the final green.

Players also complained of the slow greens.

Clavecilla missed five par putts inside five feet and Manotoc bungled a three-footer for birdie on No. 1.

“Expect this kind of scoring in the coming days,” said Clavecilla, who will play at Binitin Friday before taking the next available flight back to Manila.

Luisita won three of its four match-ups with Canlubang, but Manotoc beat Pepot Inigo in the final flight by five strokoes to make up for the deficit.