Tabuena sustains fiery form for three-shot edge

MANILA, Philippines - Miguel Tabuena continued to dish out top form, carding a five-under 67 in muddy condition and seizing a three-stroke lead over a charging Anthony Kim and three others in an emphatic start to his title-retention drive in the P3.5 million ICTSI Manila Masters at Eastridge Golf Club in Binangonan, Rizal yesterday.

Riding the crest of his one-stroke triumph over Angelo Que at ICTSI Splendido Classic last week, Tabuena oozed with confidence when he launched his bid at the back, birdying three of the first four holes then rattling off three more in the last 10 holes to negate his lone bogey mishap on No. 17.

His 34-33 effort carded under winter rules put him three strokes clear of Kim, a namesake of the many-time PGA winner who went into hibernation six years ago,

Rufino Bayron, Jun Bernis, and Japanese Toru Nakajima,  three of the tour’s big guns, settled for even par 72s on the mountain-top layout which Tabuena tamed in ruling this Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.-organized event last year by three via a 10-under 278 total.

“Despite the muddy fairway, my game still held, especially my iron shots and putting,” said Tabuena, who stretched his run of under-par rounds to five after topping the Splendido Classic last week.

“I’m playing solid after making some minor adjustments before the start of the season,” added the 20-year-old ace shotmaker.

Clyde Mondilla, winner at Cangolf last year, gunned down five birdies but reeled back with a double-bogey on No. 11 and made two other bogeys, leading the 71 scorers who included Dante Becierra, Keanu Jahns, James Ryan Lam, Miguel Ochoa and Carl Santos-Ocampo.

Tony Lascuña, the three-time Philippine Golf Tour Order of Merit winner who ruled Tuesday’s pro-am, failed to get going this time, hitting four birdies but fumbling with the same number of bogeys for joint 12th with three-time Asian Tour champion Angelo Que, Asian Development Tour titlist Elmer Salvador and another Korean Lee Seongki.

Obscure Jomar Pepito turned in a 73 while Frankie Miñoza led the 74 scorers who included Ferdie Aunzo, Sherwood Hills winner Charles Ong, Cookie La’O, Edward Reyes, Orlan Sumcad and amateur Raymart Tolentino.

Kim (Kim Tae Woo) bounced back from a two-over card with an eagle on the par-5 13th and back-to-back birdies from No. 15, moving to joint second with Bayron, who made four birdies against two bogeys; Bernis, who squandered a three-under card with a bogey on the 17th; and Nakajima, who won the Wack Wack Championship in 2013 but blew a three-under start at the back with a closing 37.

Lascuña overcame a two-over card after 12 holes with short birdies on Nos. 13 and 15 but dropped another stroke on the tough 17th and needed to birdie the par-5 closing hole to salvage a 72.

Que, seeking an end to a long title spell before resuming his campaign on the Asian Tour after the Holy Week break, birdied the first two par-5s at the front in impressive fashion but bogeyed Nos. 7 and 9 before settling for a one-bogey, one-birdie stint at the back.

Salvador also had a solid start at the back, stringing three straight birdies from No. 13 but lost his momentum and bogeyed No. 17 before stumbling with a double-bogey on the 18th.

He never recovered from there, ramming in a long birdie putt on No. 4 but dropping a stroke on the seventh.