Lascuña cards 73 in heavy rains, joins four-man jam

MANILA, Philippines - Tony Lascuña carded a gutsy one-over 73 in swirling winds and rainshowers at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club and forced a four-way tie for the lead halfway through the Mercuries Taiwan Masters in Taiwan yesterday. 

Howling winds and rains greeted the field in the $600,000 with Lascuña, Baek Seuk-hyun of Korea and local bet Wang Shih-jui all finishing with 73s in the morning group to catch Lien Chi-wei at 143 after the opening day leader skied to a 77 after a 66.

Angelo Que, tied with Lascuña at second in the first round, fumbled with a 75 and dropped to 145 while Elmer Salvador had a 149 after a 74.

Despite harsh conditions where a tree was uprooted, Lascuña held on to stay in the hunt for a breakthrough victory on the Asian Tour.

The leading player on the Philippine Golf Tour won his first and only international pro event in the 2007 Selangor Masters on the Malaysian circuit and narrowly missed the Worldwide Selangor Masters, an Asian Tour leg, last year, losing by two to Joonas Granberg of Finland for joint third.