Green storms ahead with sleek 64, but Ramos, Que primed for final-round charge
MANILA, Philippines — The leaderboard belongs to a surging Malaysian, but the local hope is very much alive.
Sean Ramos made his definitive move under a shifting Luisita sky on Friday, firing a gritty five-under 67 on Moving Day to vault back into serious title contention heading into the final round of the inaugural $100,000 Philippine ADT Open in Tarlac.
While Malaysia’s Galven Green stole the spotlight at the Luisita Golf and Country Club with a spectacular, eagle-spiked 64 to snatch the solo lead at 14-under 202, Ramos’ brilliant surge proved the young Filipino possesses the poise to match the region’s best.
Jumping six spots into a tie for sixth at 206, Ramos stood just four strokes back of the lead — a distance that feels well within striking distance given his current form.
Ramos ignited his round early, birdying two of the first three holes. After a string of steady pars and a few agonizingly close birdie misses, he picked up another stroke on No. 10. A minor speed bump arrived on the par-4 next, where a missed green resulted in his lone bogey of the day.
Unfazed, Ramos, riding the momentum from a joint runner-up finish at ADT Players Championship in Malayisa, showcased his mental toughness, dialing in his irons to birdie three of his next four holes to close with a 34-33 card.
Standing alongside him in the hunt is veteran local ace Angelo Que, who delivered a relentless 69 to sit at joint 10th with a 209.
True to his explosive style, Que recovered from a wobbly double-bogey on the water-laced, par-3 second hole, roaring back with four frontside birdies and two more on the back to keep his dreams of a second seasonal victory alive.
The rest of the local contingent, however, quietly faded from the title picture. Art Arbole is the next best-placed Filipino at joint 16th (211) after a 69, while amateur standout Shinichi Suzuki settled for a second straight 72 for a share of 20th (212) alongside Rupert Zaragoza (70).
Heavy hitters Keanu Jahns and Clyde Mondilla matched 73s to drop further down the pecking order in the group of Suzuki.
For Ramos and Que to pull off an historic come-from-behind win on Saturday, local knowledge and home-crowd adulation won't be enough. They are chasing a runaway train in Green, whose eight-under card followed back-to-back 69s. The Malaysian was a surgeon on Friday, dismantling Luisita's back nine with back-to-back closing birdies after erasing the field with an eagle on the par-5 12th.
Green’s cushion is razor-thin, holding a mere one-stroke lead over Italy's Michele Ortolani (66-203) and two ahead of second-round leader Thomas Plumb of England (66-204). With the top three playing hyper-aggressive golf, the path to a Filipino victory requires a specific formula: Sitting four back, Ramos cannot afford a slow start. He needs to duplicate or better his two-under opening stretch from Friday to pressure the final group early. If he can get to 10-under by the turn, the psychological pressure flips to the leaders.
Que, on the other hand, has the firepower to shoot a 64 of his own, but his scorecard has been plagued by big numbers (like Friday's double-bogey). To weaponize his legendary final-day charges, he must eliminate the unforced errors.
The Luisita layout is famous for its swirling afternoon winds and notoriously deceptive green surfaces. If the wind twirls early, the frontrunners — who face the immense pressure of defending a lead — could easily fall victim to the course's infamous three-putt traps. Ramos and Que must play disciplined, positional golf, letting the course do some of the heavy lifting for them.
That sets the stage for a high-octane final round. Ramos and Que are primed, the course is ready to bite back, and the bragging rights for the first-ever Philippine ADT Open champion are entirely up for grabs.
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