MANILA, Philippines – Miguel Tabuena, determined to rebound from a missed cut stint in Taiwan, delivered a scintillating six-under-par 64 at the Macao Open on Thursday, placing him just three shots behind early leader Rattanon Wannasrichan.
Tabuena put in a strong start, birdying three of the first nine holes of the par-70 Macau Golf and Country Club then kept his momentum and birdied the first three holes on the back nine.
Although a three-putt miscue on the par-3 14th briefly stalled his momentum, he recovered the stroke by dominating the par-5 closing hole, securing a tie for third alongside Bjorn Haligren, Chang Wei-lun and Liu Yung-hue.
His impressive 31-33 card was a much-needed boost after a disappointing showing at last week’s storm-hit Mercuries Taiwan Masters. It also built on his third-place finish at the Yeangder TPC in Taiwan just two weeks prior.
Tabuena had his challenges off the tee, missing six fairways, but made up for it by hitting 15 greens in regulation and needing only 28 putts, despite his three-putt misstep. His impressive round was bolstered by three scrambling pars.
Meanwhile, Justin Quiban finished with a 69 after a 35-34 round marked by five birdies offset by four bogeys, placing him in a tie for 36th.
Sean Ramos carded a 71 for a share of 60th place, while Gab Manotoc struggled with a 73, landing him in joint 111th.
Meanwhile, Wannasrichan put on a show with seven birdies, including four straight from No. 13, then capped off his round with an eagle on the 18th to record a bogey-free 61 and post a two-shot lead over Sam Brazal, who carded a 63.
Over in Japan, Fil-Am Justin delos Santos recovered from a shaky start, firing two birdies in the last five holes of the front nine to post a one-over 71 at the Japan Open.
He trailed leader Tomoyo Ikemura by eight strokes after the opening round at the Tokyo Golf Club in Saitama.
Delos Santos opened with a birdie on the 10th hole but struggled with four bogeys across the next 11 holes. A solid par on the par-3 fourth, followed by birdies on the par-5 fifth and No. 8, helped him climb to joint 18th.
However, Ikemura stole the spotlight with a brilliant 63, spiked by four consecutive birdies from No. 5, giving him a three-shot lead over Shugo Imahira (66).
Juvic Pagunsan, on the other hand, had a tough day, managing just one birdie while stumbling to five bogeys and a double bogey, finishing with a 76, leaving him in a tie for 78th and in danger of missing the cut in the ¥210-million event.