Lascuña pulls away with 66

DASMARIÑAS, Cavite , Philippines   Â­â€“ In-form Tony Lascuña whisked off Carl Santos-Ocampo with an early burst of birdies then went on to shoot a bogey-free six-under 66 and storm to a four-stroke lead over Angelo Que in the third round of the P2.5 million ICTSI Orchard Golf Championship at the Player Course here yesterday.

Back in top form after struggling early in the season with back injury, Lascuña rattled off four birdies at the front then added two more at the back to duplicate his second round 66 and pull away from the star-studded field.

The impressive 14-under 202 put the reigning ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour Order of Merit champion four shots clear of Que, who matched Lascuña’s opening 32 for a 67 and took the challenger’s role at 206 after erstwhile joint leader Santos-Ocampo struggled to finish with a 72.

But the Fil-Am’s three-day haul of 208 kept him a spot in today’s championship flight although Santos-Ocampo will have a lot of catching up to do to figure for the top P450,000 against two of the country’s most feared and seasoned players.

“My chipping and putting were superb,” said Lascuña, who also cited his chiropractor for his full recovery from a nagging back injury that has hampered his campaign in the last few tournaments.

“If not for Dr. (Ben) Adorable, I would have quit golf a long time ago,” said Lascuña, who now has a stretching exercise regimen to loosen up his back more for a better follow through.

He also made a solid follow-up to his sterling 66 Thursday, birdying the first two holes inside 14 feet, adding another four-footer on the seventh before rolling in a difficult pin-high sidehiller on No. 9.

Lascuña knocked down another birdie from 16 feet on the 12th then barely holed out with an eagle on the par-5 18th from around seven feet off a superb 4-iron shot from 210 yards.

“It’s going to be fun going up against familiar faces in the final flight,” added Lascuña, referring to Santos-Ocampo and Que,with whom he exchanged high five after the penultimate round of the 72-hole championship sponsored by ICTSI.

After a 69 and 70, Que added a sizzling five-under 67, highlighted by four birdies at the front but marred by back-to-back bogeys from No. 10. The three-time Asian Tour leg winner and former Philippine Open champion, however, rebounded with three birdies in the last seven holes to gain a crack at the crown in the event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

“Here we go again, chasing him (Lascuña) again,” said Que, referring to the Davaoeño shotmaker who is coming off a four-shot romp at ICTSI Calatagan two weeks ago. “I have to get rid of bogeys to increase my chances of winning.”

Santos-Ocampo needed to birdie the last two holes, including the last despite overshooting the green, his ball landing near the scoreboard, to salvage a 72 and join Lascuña and Que in the final group.

Richard Sinfuego carded a 70 and moved to fourth with a 210, eight shots behind, while Juvic Pagunsan finally found his rhythm and matched Lascuña and Que’s 66 although he stood too far behind at 211 in a tie with ICTSI John Hay champion Jay Bayron and Michael Bibat, who shot 69 and 73, respectively.