Ex-champ catches Strange at helm

A very hot putter on a very hot day was all Yeh Chang-ting needed to catch Scott Strange at the top of the 90th Philippine Open at Wack Wack.

Yeh, the RP Open champion 13 years ago at Southwoods, needed only 24 putts for a second straight three-under 69 and a 138 total at Wack Wack’s east course.

"I didn’t drive the ball well. My putting really saved me. I took only 24 putts today," said the 38-year-old Yeh, now tied with Strange, who had a 70, with two rounds left.

Yeh, however, said it’s too early to think about winning the title a second time.

"I won this tournament a long time ago but I’m not going to think about winning this week. You’ve got to take it one hole at a time since it’s a very tough course," he said.

Yeh had five birdies and two bogeys on the humid day which had Cookie La’O, the best-placed Filipino after the first round with a 70, crumbling with a 74 and slipping into a tie for 12th from sixth.

Juvic Pagunsan and Robert Pactolerin, the 1990 champion, delivered the news for the local side, firing identical 70s that kept them in the hunt for the $31,500 top purse.

Pagunsan went two-under after opening with a 72 and climbed into a tie for fourth at 142 with Myanmar’s Soe Kyaw Naing (70) and RP-based Canadian Rick Gibson (72).

"I’m just trying to stay in good place. So far, I’ve managed to," said Pagunsan who needs two solid rounds to probably become the first Filipino winner since 2001.

Pactolerin walked off the 18th green with a smile. He had a 74 in the first round for a tie for 46th place, and will answer today’s third round tied with La’O and two foreigners.

Chris Rodgers of England is in solo third at 139.

Gerald Rosales, the 2000 champion, is in an eight-way tie for 17. Also in the group is Jerome Delariarte (69).

Angelo Que trooped to the showers after a 75 that pulled him down from a share of 11th place to a tie for 25th at 146 or eight strokes off the pace.

The cut was pegged at 150 and the field, which started at 156, is down to 72 for the last two rounds. Only 16 of the 46 Filipinos this year made the cut.

Some of those who failed were some of those who shouldn’t have. They are Richard Sinfuego (80-153), Tony Lascuna (75-153), Richard Sinfuego (79-157), 2001 champion Cassius Casas (78-157) and Carito Villaroman (79-163.

NOTES: The RP Open, the oldest golf tournament in Asia, will remain at Wack Wack at least for the next two years. The announcement was made by National Golf Association of the Philippines president Leandro Mendoza last night. Topping the good news, he said, is the NGAP’s plan to increase the total cash prize from $200,000 to $500,000. "That’s a very nice announcement. In fact, I felt thrilled hearing that," said Wack Wack president Ben Abalos. Next year’s RP Open, scheduled in January, will also serve as the kickoff leg of the 2007 Asian Tour.