Bibat, the former Singapore Open champion, gunned down five birdies at the Doha Golf Club and went on to fire a 34-33 round for that 67 and a 54-hole aggregate of 209, seven under par.
That put him in fifth spot in the individual race with the Filipino bet, who opened with a 70 but settled for an even par 72 in the second round, hoping to sustain his momentum in a bid to vie for at least the bronze medal.
He stood four shots off Pan Cheng Tsung of Taiwan, who had a 205 after a 68, while Kim Kyung Tae (67) and Kim Doo Hoon Sr. (73) take the next two spots with 206 and 207, respectively. Another Korean, Kang Sung Hoon, is in fourth with a 208.
But the RP team virtually kissed its hopes goodbye as Jay Bayron made a two-under par 70 and Marvin Dumandan continued to struggle with a two-over 74. Gene Bondoc didn’t count with a 75.
Although it matched its first effort of 211, five-under, the RP men’s team stayed too far behind the leaders at 641 although it moved up from sixth to fifth with one round left to play. Bayron, who sizzled with a 68 in the first round, is in joint 10th with a 212. Korea continued to show the way in team play with a 621 after a 208 for a nine-stroke lead over Taiwan (215-630).
Japan is in third with a 631 after a 211. The RP ladies also failed to recover with the disqualification of Anya Tanpinco although Dottie Ardina finally recovered from a poor 79 start with a four-under 69 as she moved to joint 12th with a 218. Cyna Rodriguez, however, faltered with a 76. — Dante Navarro