Tabuena battles through winds, stays in control

STA. ROSA, Laguna, Philippines — Miguel Tabuena stood his ground and remained in command despite a 76 as the winds made a strong presence halfway through the TCC Invitational here yesterday.

Following an impressive eight-under 64 Tuesday, Tabuena and the rest of the elite cast encountered relentless gusts throughout the day at The Country Club course, leading to soaring scores.

Despite the 12-shot turnaround, however, the two-time Philippine Open champion stayed in control at four-under 140, four strokes clear of Tony Lascuña, who also struggled in the windy backside with a 38 for a 74 and a 144.

“Today (yesterday) was tough for myself and I believe for everyone,” said Tabuena, who gunned down nine birdies against a bogey in setting a new course record in the first round.

“But it’s also a regular day at TCC at this time of the year. But I’m pretty happy with the way I fought, pretty happy with my score. I’m in a good spot coming into the last two rounds,” added Tabuena, who had a birdie-less 39-37 card marred by six bogeys but marked by an eagle-blast on No. 10.

“Grabe ang kondisyon, ang hirap. Pero pipilitin natin,” said Lascuña, who is also seeking redemption after yielding the ICTSI TCC Match Play crown to Tabuena last November.

Clyde Mondilla fought back strongly from an initial struggle of three bogeys after seven holes, birdying Nos. 8, 10 and 13 to draw level par and tie Lascuña at second at even-par. But the 2019 Philippine Open champion bogeyed the par-3 17th and slipped to third at 145.

Rupert Zaragosa blew an even-par card with bogeys on Nos. 15 and 16 as he carded a 74 for fourth at 147 while PGT Order of Merit titleholder Jhonnel Ababa and Rico Depilo squandered a pair of even-par cards with wavering finishes to drop to joint fifth at 148.