Putting struggles derail Tabuena’s momentum

MANILA, Philippines -- Miguel Tabuena experienced a rare cooling off during the scorching third round of the Shinhan Donghae Open on Saturday, carding a 71 after back-to-back 68s that caused him to slide down the leaderboard in Incheon, South Korea.

Tabuena seemed poised to build on his strong two-day showing as he rebounded from a bogey on the second hole with three birdies over the next five holes, keeping him within striking distance of the leaders.

However, his putting woes began to take their toll, with a three-putt miscue on the 12th hole leading to another bogey that symbolized his struggles on the tricky greens of the Ocean Course at Club 72.

He parred the last six holes but missed multiple birdie opportunities, dropping his overall score to 207. From joint sixth in the first two days, the ICTSI-backed three-time Asian Tour winner fell to a tie for 20th, leaving him trailing joint leaders Kensei Hirata and Kosuke Suzuki by seven strokes heading into the final 18 holes of the $300,000 Asian Tour event.

Hirata, coming off a victory at the Fujisankei Classic last week on the Japan Golf Tour, posted the best round of the week – a blistering 10-under 62, highlighted by five straight birdies from the first hole. His impressive performance tied him at the top with fellow Japanese golfer Suzuki, who shot a 69, both holding a total of 200.

Korean player Chanmin Jung surged with a 63 to place himself two shots behind at 202, while Australia’s Travis Smyth (65), reigning Korea Open champion Minkyu Kim (66), and Japanese contenders Mikumu Horikawa (66) and Tomoyo Ikemura (67) were tied for fourth with 203s, setting the stage for a wide-open final round.

With Hirata riding high from his recent success and another Japanese Tour win in July, he will be the man to beat on Sunday as the Shinhan Donghae Open heads toward a thrilling conclusion.