Magada, Quiban fire 68s, pace Masters

BINANGONAN, Rizal – Veteran Benjie Magada and sophomore pro Justin Quiban leaned on superb backside stints to card identical four-under 68s in hot and windy condition, wresting a one-stroke lead over Tony Lascuña and Japanese Genki Okada at the start of the ICTSI Manila Masters here yesterday.

Gerald Rosales rattled off four straight birdies to launch his bid in a late start at the Eastridge Golf Club but the former Philippine Open champion wavered at the back with six bogeys for a 74, enabling Magada and Quiban to remain on top in the early going of the P3 million event sponsored by ICTSI.

Magada checked a roller-coaster stint with three birdies in the last five holes for a 35-33 card while Quiban sizzled with four birdies at the back where he teed off then negated a bogey mishap on No. 1 with a birdie on the fourth for a 36-32.

“My game clicked despite tough condition with the wind blowing from all over,” said Magada, who birdied the last two holes inside 10 feet.

Lascuña missed grabbing the lead or joining Magada and Quiban on top with a faltering finish at the front but stayed within striking distance with a 69 for joint third with the 19-year-old Okada.

The reigning OOM champion upstaged Angelo Que in their featured duel, overcoming a bogey on No. 15 with six birdies in the next nine holes to take charge. But he holed out with back-to-back bogeys on missed green mishaps and dropped out of the lead.

Que, in contrast, put on a strong start of three birdies at the back to share the early lead with Frankie Miñoza and Quiban. But the former three-time Asian Tour winner fumbled with two bogeys in a birdie-less frontside stint and slipped to 71 with six others.

American Nicolas Paez seized solo fifth with a 70 while Japanese Joichiro Kawada, Korean Hong Soon Hyup, Charles Hong, Jet Mathay, Rene Menor and Nilo Salahog shot 71s to join Que at seventh.