Tabuena stays in the mix, fires solid 68

MANILA, Philippines -- Miguel Tabuena flashed remarkable consistency with a second straight 68 but though he held on to a share of sixth place, hefound himself trailing new leader Kosuke Suzuki by five strokes halfway through the Shinhan Donghae Open at the Ocean Course, Club 72, in South Korea on Friday.

With Malaysian friend Nick Fung stepping in as his caddie, replacing regular bagman Clayton Besset, Tabuena registered two birdies on each nine and managed to scramble for pars on four occasions to keep a clean, bogey-free card following his five-birdie, one-bogey round on Thursday.

Tabuena’s 136 aggregate kept him in sixth, tied with three others, but Suzuki's eagle-laden 64 propelled the Japanese into a commanding lead at 131, three strokes ahead of the field.

Galam Jeon and Brad Kennedy both fired 65s to move into joint second at 134, while overnight leader Jaewoong Eom slipped to joint fourth at 135 after a 70 in a tie with Naoyuki Kataoka, who carded a 67.

While Tabuena, supported by ICTSI, remained in contention, Filipino-American Justin delos Santos missed the cut by seven strokes with a 148 total after posting a 72.

“It was a good round, very solid from tee to green. I didn’t get myself into any trouble,” said Tabuena. “My game is in a good spot, and I’ve been seeing some good results in recent events. It’s a busy time ahead, so I’m happy with where my game is right now."

This event marks only the second time that close friend Fung has served as Tabuena’s caddie, having teamed up earlier this year during the US Open sectional qualifiers, where Tabuena came close to advancing.

Besset was unavailable this week due to his mother's illness, but Fung was quick to step in.

"Nick has been great. He’s confident with his reads on the greens, which has been a key factor for me in recent months. Clayton will rejoin us in Taiwan, but this team with Nick has been working well,” Tabuena added.