Filipino golfers falter in Taiwan, Japan

MANILA, Philippines – Angelo Que holed out with a birdie on the ninth and salvaged 74 as he and fellow Filipino Sean Ramos finished way behind in the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open ruled by Thai Suteepat Prateeptienchai in runaway fashion in Chinese-Taipei Sunday.

Prateeptienchai used a blistering frontside assault to dominate the field, coming through with a decisive five-birdie spree from No. 3 for a 31 to stretch an overnight two-stroke lead over fellow Thai Chapchai Nirat into a commanding advantage. The latter skied to a frontside 40 and bowed out of the title race.

Prateeptienchai, however, slowed down at the back, ending up with a 37 and a 68 but still posted a four-stroke romp with a 269 over Atiruj Winaicharoenchai, also of Thailand, and Malaysian Shahriffuddin Ariffin, who matched 273s after 66 and 69, respectively.

Nirat limped with a 75 and tumbled to joint 11th at 278.

Earlier, Que groped for his long game and iron play, missing eight fairways and seven greens at the Taifong Golf Club course. But he finished with 29 putts to save a pair of 37s and a 72-hole total of 291.

Ramos also ended up with a three-over overall total for a lowly share of 58th place in the surviving 68-player field after the young shotmaker turned in his worst card in four days – a 75 marred by a frontside 39. He earlier shot 70, 72 and 74.

He birdied the 10th where he and Que teed off but bogeyed the 12th and made a run of pars before yielding two strokes on the par-4 No. 4 and making a bogey on the next and the seventh.

Like Que, he struggled off the mound, hitting just seven fairways and went out of regulation 10 times although he performed better on the greens, ending up with 27 putts.

Que failed to recover from a triple-bogey mishap on the par-3 15th and though he birdied the last two holes at the back, the three-time Asian Tour winner double-bogeyed the first hole and also gave up two strokes on No. 4 against three bogeys.

Over in Japan, Juvic Pagunsan eagled the par-5 17th but still closed out with a four-over 74 as he wound up joint 26th in a field of 30 in the Japan Series JT Cup won by Yasuka Migakawa in Tokyo, also Sunday.

Pagunsan failed to recover from his previous 73s in the past two rounds at the par 35-35 Tokyo Yomiuri Country Club course, making two bogeys against a birdie after nine holes and dropping another stroke on No. 11 before signing for a pair of 6s on Nos. 13 and 16, both par-4s.

But he reached the 17th in two and made the putt for an eagle and a 36-38 for a 289.

Migakawa, meanwhile, fired a 68 for a 265 as he edged Takumi Kanaya and Keita Nakajima by one after the duo pooled 266s with 67 and 69, respectively.