Tabuena, Que stay at helm; Miñoza slips

CANLUBANG, Laguna , Philippines  â€“ Angelo Que and Miguel Tabuena hacked out a pair of gutsy even par 70s in tough condition to remain tied for the lead as erstwhile co-leader Frankie Miñoza fell by the wayside with a 73 in a topsy-turvy second round of the rich The Country Club Invitational at the TCC course here yesterday.

Que, chasing a record fourth crown in the P5 million event among the country’s elite, came in unruffled by the wind in third-to-the-last-flight, grinding out a string of pars to finish with a 34 for that 70 that matched Tabuena’s card and a two- day haul of 138.

Tabuena struggled in the wind in the early going and made the turn at 37 but recovered with a three-birdie binge from Nos.11 to 14. He, however, missed grabbing the solo lead when he three-putted for bogey on the 17th and settled for a 33.

With all but one of the rest of the starting 37-player field fumbling in another challenging day, Tabuena and Que opened a two-stroke lead over Rufino Bayron and Cassius Casas heading to the weekend play of the event when condition is expected to get harsher.

Rufino Bayron had two bogeys against a lone birdie for a one-over 71 in one of the late flights but the former amateur hotshot moved up to joint second at 140 in a tie with a charging Cassius Casas.

Casas, the inaugural champion of the annual event put up by ICTSI chair and CEO Ricky Razon in honor of his father ICTSI founder Enrique “Don Pocholo” Razon Sr., turned in the day’s best score of two-under 68 to put himself in strong contention for the record P1.5 million purse.

Out to redeem himself from a forgettable stint in the ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour Canlubang Invitational last year when he was disqualified after he was awarded the joint third place award, rallied with two birdies in the last seven holes, including on No. 17, that sparked hopes for a big weekend for the country’s former No. 1.

“It’s still a long way to go. I just hope to stay focused and get the breaks,” said Casas, who last won in 2010 when he snatched the ICTSI Del Monte crown where three players were disqualified on a final hole infraction.

Despite Tabuena and Que’s two-shot lead, the title race remains wide open with Jay Bayron and defending champion Juvic Pagunsan carding similar 72s to join Miñoza at 141 and Rey Pagunsan shooting a second 71 for solo eighth at 142, four strokes adrift.

Carl Santos-Ocampo struggled with a 73 and slid to solo ninth at 143 while Elmer Salvador and Clyde Mondilla also hobbled with a pair of 73s for 144.

Tony Lascuña, the local tour’s reigning Order of Merit champion, also continued to struggle, carding a 74 for a 146, eight shots off the joint leaders.

On a day when the lead changed as fast as the layout’s putting surface, Tabuena kept his composure, ramming in a tough birdie putt on the long par-5 No. 2 then firing three birdies in a four-hole stretch at the back to negate his bogeys on Nos. 1, 4 and 8.

“Overall, I played well despite that bogey on the 17th,” said Tabuena, winner of two ICTSI PGT legs last year. “Hopefully it turns out to be a very good year for me.”

Que, who first won in 2007 before scoring back-to-back triumphs from 2010, blew hot and cold at the front, marred by a double bogey on the tough No. 8, originally a par 5 but was shortened to par 4 at 495 yards.

But the former Philippine Open champion bounced back with a three-foot birdie on No. 13 then scrambled for pars the rest of the way to stay at the helm.

Miñoza failed to get going after a brilliant 68 Thursday that netted him a share of the lead as he bogeyed three of the first 10 holes and wound up with two more bogeys against the same number of birdies for a 73.

Pagunsan, who routed the field with a final round blitz last year to cop his third TCC crown, had a blistering start, marked by back-to-back birdies from No. 5. But he yielded the strokes on the next four holes and finished with two more bogeys on Nos. 16 and 17 to fall behind the leaders.