Aussie holds off Bayron, Aunzo
SINGAPORE – Australian Tim Stewart came through with two lucky putts to churn out a two-under par 69, turn back the charging Rufino Bayron and Ferdie Aunzo and keep a five-stroke lead in the third round of the Singapore Open Amateur Championship here yesterday.
It was Stewart’s third straight under-par round at the tight Singapore Island Country Club’s Bukit Course with the smooth-swinging shotmaker from Down Under, who took control at the halfway mark with a 69 and a 67, moving within 18 holes away from running away with the championship and a dream stint in next week’s Barclays Singapore Open in Sentosa with a 205.
That was five strokes up on Bayron, who likewise maintained his run of under par scores with a two-under card, thanks to a sizzling 32 coming home that featured four birdies and turned what had appeared to be an over par card into a solid round.
“I thought I wouldn’t be able to recover after going two-over after 9 holes. But I stayed focused and made those birdies,” said Bayron, who improved from joint third to second with a 210 in a tie with Thai ace Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who shot a 68.
Stewart made two improbable putts to stay in full control, the first a 50-footer to save a par on the par-3 12th and the other a 45-footer to salvage a bogey on the par-5 13th after driving out of bounds.
Meanwhile, the
After dropping strokes on Nos. 3 and 9, Bayron, only in his second stint abroad after placing 11th in last year’s Hong Kong Open, fought back with birdies on Nos. 10, 13, 16 before banging in an eight-foot sidehill putt on the 18th. Aunzo, on the other hand, continued his remarkable surge from an opening three-over 74, firing a three-under 68 to gain a share of third place at 211, six shots adrift.
The 27-year-old Aunzo, joint third in the ASEAN Tour leg, a pro event, at Malarayat last week, tamed the difficult frontside of the tight, up-and-down layout, birdying Nos. 1, 4 and 7 for a 32. But he failed to sustain his charge at the back, bogeying the par-5 13th but gunning down an eight-footer for birdie on the 17th to preserve that 68.
“I just couldn’t keep sustain my charge at the back. With three par-5s, it was actually easier to score at the back but I failed to take advantage of it,” said Aunzo, one of the four ICTSI-backed players seeing action here, in Filipino.
Like in the second round, Anthony Fernando needed a late burst of brilliance to stay within striking distance of the leader, birdying Nos. 16 and 17 to save another round of 71 for a 212.
Mark Fernando finally broke par with a 69 but stood eight strokes off the pace with a 213 in a tie with New Zealand’s Nick Gillespie, who fumbled with a 76,while Ababa struggled with a three-over 74 and dropped to 216.
Mike Bibat also faltered with a 75 for a 219, Mario Labajo carded a 73 for a 220 while Miko Alejandro skied to a 77 on his 18th birthday for a 221.
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