Aussie seizes command with record 62

LIPA CITY — Australian Jason Dawes didn’t let two mediocre rounds and the heat slow him down at the Philippine Open yesterday. Brimming with confidence with a broomstick putter, Dawes put in an amazing display of shotmaking and putting skills as he fired a record-setting nine-under par 62 to leapfrog from joint 27th to the top of the leaderboard heading into final round of the $200,000 event here.

Three straight birdies coming home, including a spectacular chip shot on No. 17, capped Dawes’ brilliant 31-31 round that more than made up for his back-to-back one-over par cards in the first two days. Not only did it shatter the 8-under 64 set by Richard Sinfuego in the 1999 Philip Morris Classic when the layout played to a par-72 course, but it also shoved the Aussie pro to a one-stroke lead over overnight leader Boonchu Ruangkit with a 206.

But it took an uncharacteristic four-putt mishap from Ruangkit on No. 16 for Dawes to seize control as the Thai ace limped with a double-bogey on that testy par-4 hole and settled for a 69 and a 207.

Adam Vesconte, another bet from Down Under, shot one of the day’s four-under par 67s as the par-71 Mt. Malarayat layout proved defenseless in the absence of the winds and with the pins becoming virtual target for the men of the Asian Tour.

After 18 players churned out under par scores in the second day, the Mts. Makulot and Lobo nines yielded 30 under par rounds yesterday.

Vesconte, winner of the Australian PGA Tour leg in 2003, took solo third with a 208, but a slew of others, including former RP Open champion Gerald Rosales and amateur hotshot Juvic Pagunsan, stood within sight of the leaders with 209s.

Rosales, needing a solid start to get his game going, did just that yesterday, birdying Nos. 2 and 3 and holing out with two more birdies in his last three holes for a bogey-free 67.

"I just needed a good start," said the 27-year-old Rosales, who opened with a 69 but never recovered from a disastrous start of 3-over in the second round and hobbled with a 73.

Dawes didn’t only get off to a fine start. He also made sure he’d finish in blazing fashion. Dawes, eyeing a follow-up to his 2003 victory in the windy Acer Taiwan Open, knocked in birdies from 18 and 8 feet in the first two holes, rolled in a 30-footer on No. 5 and banged in another birdie from No. 10 on the seventh for that 31.

Keeping his putter, which is twice as long as the ordinary, hot on another hot and humid day here, the 31-year-old Dawes sank a curling 12-footer on No. 10, tapped-in another birdie on the par-5 13th before closing out with a birdie-birdie-birdie finish.

So solid was Dawes’ round that he missed the greens just twice, one he even birdied with that fantastic chip shot.

"The pin placements today proved not too difficult compared to the first two rounds. But I also credit (my round) to my new putter," said Dawes, referring to his stick, which he started to wield only two weeks ago after going over the stats on the PGA Tour.

Ruangkit need not go over the record to realize where did he go wrong.

A hooked drive on No. 16 sent Ruangkit’s ball into the thick rough, a typical punishment, he said, for errant drives. But what ruined his day was his stint on the putting surface when after hitting it over the green on his approach shot, he rolled it outside on his first putt and needed three more strokes to get over the ordeal.

Pagunsan holed out with an eagle, a feat that elicited roars from the gallery that ringed the par-5 18th green as the former SEA Games champion came through with a 69 and joined Rosales and two others in fourth place, just three strokes off the pace.

The other 209 scorers were Somkiat Srisa-nga, also shooting a 67, and Canadian Darren Griff, who fired a 68, while Malaysian Shaaban Hussein and American Bryan Saltus stood at 209 after a 67 and 68, respectively.

Four players, including local bets and former national teammates Tony Lascuna and Rey Pagunsan, remained within striking distance at 211, setting up an expected final round shootout for the top $31,500 purse staked in the event serving as the 13th leg of the Asian Tour. Lascuna carded a 68 while Pagunsan made a 69.

The rest of the pack could kiss their respective title bids goodbye with first round leader Andrew Buckle carding a 73 for a 212 in a tie with American Ron Won (72) and Malaysian R. Nachimuthu, who had a 67.

Cassius Casas, who shared third place with Pagunsan and Won at the start of the day, dropped three strokes in the first four holes and never managed to recover, settling for a 75 and a 215, the same output put in by amateur Jay Bayron, who after shooting a 68 in the second round, could only match par.

Amateur Artemio Murakami fired a 69 to lead the 214 scorers while Angelo Que continued to struggle with a 74 and slid to 217.