Tabuena shines on the greens, stays in the hunt with 67

MANILA, Philippines -- Miguel Tabuena faced challenges from tee to green but continued to display his superb putting touch, carding a 67 to comfortably make the weekend play at the $2-million International Series Macau dominated by some of the world’s top players at the Macau Golf and Country Club on Friday.

After an impressive opening round of 64, which placed him just one stroke behind American star Patrick Reed, Tabuena slipped slightly in the standings. His second-round three-under card at the par-71 layout dropped him to joint fifth at nine-under 131, now four strokes behind Reed, the former US Masters champion, who maintained his commanding form with a fiery 64 to reach 13-under 127.

A tightly packed leaderboard set the stage for an intense battle in Saturday’s pivotal third round. Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz produced a tournament-best round of 61, climbing up the standings to sit just one stroke behind Reed at 128. Ortiz’s sizzling round was highlighted by a blistering back-nine 29, which included four consecutive birdies from No. 10.

Australia’s Lucas Herbert and Travis Smyth also made significant moves, both firing rounds of 65 to match 130s and stay firmly in the hunt.

Tabuena found himself tied for fifth alongside Zimbabwe’s Kiera Vincent and Spain’s Sergio Garcia, another former Masters winner, who shot rounds of 65 and 66, respectively.

After a stellar ball-striking performance in the opening round – where he hit 10 fairways and 15 greens – Tabuena encountered difficulties with his driver and irons in round two. He missed six fairways and found himself scrambling out of regulation play seven times.

However, his putting remained his strongest asset, as he expertly navigated the greens with 26 putts, keeping himself within striking distance.

His round featured five crucial one-putt saves for par, showcasing his ability to stay composed under pressure. The only blemish on his scorecard was a lone bogey on the par-3 11th, caused by a rare three-putt miscue. He compensated with birdies on holes 3, 9, 13 and 18 to round out his day.

Tabuena’s strong showing not only kept him in contention for the tournament title but also put him in the mix for one of three available spots in the prestigious Open Championship, set to take place in Northern Ireland in July. His performance in the last two rounds will be crucial as he aims for a breakthrough victory.

Meanwhile, other Filipino contenders struggled to keep pace. Justin Quiban faltered with a 72, dropping to joint 77th at even-par 140, sitting one stroke outside the projected cut line of 139. With several flights still finishing their rounds at press time, his fate remained uncertain.

Angelo Que, on the other hand, endured a tough outing, carding a 73 to finish at 145, effectively ending his campaign.