Lascuna wrests 3-shot edge after 66

MANILA, Philippines - Tony Lascuna rode on an explosive windup for a six-under 66 as he stormed past erstwhile joint leaders Juvic Pagunsan and Miguel Tabuena for a three-stroke lead halfway through the rain-hit $50,000 ICTSI-Mt. Malarayat Championship at the Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country Club in Lipa City, Batangas yesterday.

Lascuna carded a five-under 31 on the front nine, the backside of his round, firing five birdies in the last six holes. He recovered from a bogey on No. 12 with back-to-back birdies from No. 13 that put the dusky shotmaker way ahead of the field at eight-under 136.

“I made a lot of putts and played some great irons shots,” said Lascuna, a perennial runner-up on the ASEAN PGA Tour still in search of the big one.

But the big ones remained in hot pursuit for the top $8,126 purse although Pagunsan and Tabuena, who shared the lead with a pair of 68s in the rain-suspended first round, could only submit 71 cards despite improved weather conditions for 139s.

“In the morning I played great. The course played long but the greens were soft and you could attack the pins. I just didn’t strike it well in the round,” said Pagunsan. 

Dutch Guido Van der Valk, another perennial contender on the local tour, and Mars Pucay, winner here in 2007, both fired 69s to join Pagunsan and Tabuena at second while four players, led by Jhonnel Ababa, stood at 140.

Ababa, the former amateur hotshot seeking a breakthrough win on his rookie year like Tabuena, matched Lascuna’s 31 at the front as he shot a 67 for joint sixth with another rookie pro Jerson Balasabas, who carded a second straight 70.

Thais Thanyakon Khrongpha and Panuwat Muenlek also stayed in the title hunt with a 70 and 71, respectively, as they tied Ababa and Balasabas in sixth place heading into the last 36 holes of the event sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc.

After two days of rains, the weather improved a bit with 57 players making the cut at 150, including Cassius Casas and Benjie Magada, who barely advanced to the weekend play with 79-71 and 77-73, respectively.

Arnold Villacencio, joint third in last week’s ICTSI Eastridge Classic of the ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour, turned in a 69 for joint 10th with amateur Jobim Carlos, carding a 70, at 141, while Carito Villaroman, who fired a bogey-less 69 in the first round, fumbled with a 73 and dropped to 142 in a tie with Erwin Arcillas, who made a second straight.

With only half of the surviving field expected to finish the third round at presstime, the rest will resume theirs at 7 a.m. today with the final round firing off at 7:30 a.m., according to rulesman Henry Arabelo.

The tournament is backed by MJ Carr Golf Management, Inc., Srixon, Callaway, Unilab, Titleist, Sharp, Custom Clubmakers, Mizuno, PinoyGolfer.com, Inquirer Golf, A Round of Golf, Studio 23, Balls, and Dynamic Sports.