Frontside rally puts Tabuena in the hunt with 67

MANILA, Philippines – Miguel Tabuena came charging back with a solid frontside assault and turned in a five-under 67 to trail David Lipsky of the US and Finnish Tapio Pulkkanen by just two at the start of the Volvo China Open at the Genzon Golf Club in Shenzhen Thursday.

Tabuena broke a one-birdie, one-bogey game at the back where he teed off with a stirring three-birdie string to start his frontside bid then added two more on Nos. 6 and 9 to string a 31-36 card that put the ace Filipino shotmaker in early contention in the $2.9 million event serving as part of the Asian and European Tour.

That he did it coming off a month-long layoff due to back injury spoke well of the character and caliber of the two-time Philippine Open champion who joined seven others at seventh, including flightmate Romain Langasque of France, Malaysian Gavin Green, Jordan Smith and Ross Fisher of Britain, Frenchman Benjamin Hebert and local aces Wu Ashun and Li Haotong.

Meanwhile, Lipsky leaned on a sizzling backside 32 to fire a 65 and share the lead with Pulkkanen, who likewise anchored his seven-under round on a fiery backside 31 as they took a one-stroke lead over John Catlin of the US, Bernd Wiesberger of Austrla, Spain’s Jorge Campillo and Stuart Manley of Wales, who all shot 66s in a day of torrid scoring at the par-72 layout.

Tabuena, playing in his first tournament since withdrawing after shooting a 79 in the first round of the Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur last month, birdied the short par-4 No. 11 but flubbed a couple of birdie chances in the next six before dropping a stroke on the 18th.

But after birdying the first hole, he gained another stroke on the par-5 No. 2, struck a solid tee-shot on the par-3 third hole for another birdie, then knocked down another feat on the sixth before closing out with another birdie on the par-5 ninth.

Over in Japan, Angelo Que blew a birdie-birdie start with a double bogey on No. 4 and a bogey on the 16th for a one-over 71 as he tumbled to a share of 34th, five strokes behind local bets Akio Sadakata and Katsumasa Miyamoto and Peter Karmis of South Africa, who all fired 66s, in The Crowns at the Nagoya Golf Club’s Wago course also Thursday.

But Juvic Pagunsan failed to recover from a woeful start of 39, hitting just one birdie against another bogey at the back to limp with a 74 and in danger of missing the cut in the $10 million event of the Japan PGA Tour.