Birdie spree propels Que; Sinfuego 2nd

LIPA, Batangas, Philippines – It was raining birdies for Angelo Que yesterday but the reigning champion was still not satisfied with his round at Mt. Malarayat.

Gunning down eight birdies, Que seized the upper hand with a six-under-par 66 at the halfway point of the $50,000 (about P2.4 million) ICTSI Mt. Malarayat Championship, the third leg of the Mercedes-Benz Golf Tour here.

“I didn’t hit the ball the way I wanted to today, I was just lucky to have survived my bad driving with a solid short game,” said Que, whose 134 total for 36 holes was good for a one-stroke lead over compatriot Richard Sinfuego.

On a day when the field exploited the ideal course conditions with 31 sub-par rounds, Sinfuego salvaged a 69 despite an erratic driving and slid one notch at 135.

Sinfuego, 37, missed nine of 14 fairways off the tee but still managed to collect six easy birdies – three on each nine – with his solid iron play in the tamer wind conditions in the morning.

The Canlubang pro who sneaked in with a late 66 Wednesday to snatch the lead from the big names held his ground with a 135 aggregate at the Mt. Malarayat which played easier after an hour-long downpour drenched the course before play started.

“I didn’t drive the way I did yesterday but my iron play saved me some strokes today. Hopefully, I can keep my chances of winning tomorrow,” said Sinfuego in Filipino.

Local star Juvic Pagunsan will not have that chance after he blew up with an 83 including a nightmarish 12 on the 9th hole and bombed out of the weekend play.

Jerome Delariarte bogeyed the last hole and settled for a 68 that put him in solo third at 137.

Khor Kheng Hwai of Malaysia (69) and Wisut Artjanawat of Thailand (71) were the best-positioned foreign players at 140, five shots off the pace.