Asistio fumbles, slips to 6th

Anthony Fernando carded a second straight one-over 71 and took the cudgels for the Philippines as erstwhile leader Tonton Asistio limped home with a five-over 75 and tumbled down to joint sixth in the second round of the Hong Kong Open Amateur Golf Championships paced by Taiwanese Yang Fei Hao in Fanling, Hong Kong yesterday.

Yang fired a two-under 68 at the Hong Kong Golf Club’s New Course for a 139 and grabbed a two-shot lead over compatriot Liu Chen Lin and Hong Kong’s Douglas Williams, who both had 141s while Fernando stood a stroke farther back at 142.

Fernando, the former national amateur champion, made three short birdie putts against four missed green bogeys as he tied another Taiwanese in Chiang Chien Lin, shooting a 69, at fourth.

Tonton Asistio, who sizzled with a 68 in the first round, struggled on the sleek putting surface of the par-70 layout, making only one birdie and hobbling with two three-putt bogeys. He also had two missed green bogeys and a double bogey on the 18th when he drove out of bounds.

That 75 pulled down the top ICTSI-backed bet, winner of last week’s Cangolf Am Open, to sixth place with a 143, four strokes off Yang.

Peter Villaber, who started the round in joint third with a 70, also wavered with a 74 for a 144 while defending champion Dante Becierra rallied with a 71 from an opening 80 although he stood too far behind the Taiwanese leader at 151.

Other Filipino scorers in the four-day event, which offers a slot in the Hong Kong Open, a European Tour leg slated next month, to the winner, were Zanie Boy Gialon (74-144), Tommy Manotoc (73-146), Mark Fernando (79-150) and Paul Echavez (79-155).