Tabuena fights back with 68, but stays 6 shots adrift

MANILA, Philippines -- Miguel Tabuena staged a remarkable comeback on moving day with a 68, climbing from a tie for 30th to joint seventh after three rounds of the Korea Open, now led by Younghan Song in Cheonan, South Korea Saturday.

Determined to recover from a two-over 73 in the second round, Tabuena started strong, birdying three of the first six holes to gain on the frontrunners. However, he had to settle for a two-birdie, two-bogey finish over the last 12 holes, resulting in a 33-35 card at the par-71 Woo Jeong Hills Country Club.

With a 211 aggregate, the ICTSI-backed Tabuena tied with Taichi Kho for seventh after the Hong Kong star also carded a 69. They, however, stood six strokes behind Song, who birdied the last hole at dusk to fire a 67 and wrest a one-stroke lead over erstwhile leader Kyungnam Kang with an eight-under 205.

Kang stumbled with a 72 in tough conditions and dropped to second at 206, while Minkyu Kim pooled a 207 after a 71 to set the stage for a three-way battle for the championship in the $1 million event.

Inhol Hur rallied with a 68 but stood four shots behind at 209 while Junggon Hwang and Songgyu Yoo matched 210s after 70 and 71, respectively.

Tabuena's struggles with his driving, missing six fairways, hindered his progress. He could have moved closer to the leaders if not for shaky putting, with his two bogeys caused by three-putt miscues.

In Malaysia, Angelo Que closed out with a 69 to finish in 15th place in the Selangor Masters, ruled by Rahil Gangjee in wire-to-wire fashion at the Kelab Golf Seri Selangor, also Saturday.

Que fired four birdies against three bogeys, with his last mishap on the 18th hole preventing a higher finish in the Asian Development Tour event. With rounds of 72, 72, and 70, the three-time Asian Tour winner finished with a three-over 287 at the par-70 course.

Meanwhile, Gangjee overcame a final-round meltdown to escape with a one-stroke victory over Deyen Lawson. Despite a four-bogey start after 10 holes, Gangjee regained his touch in time, birdying Nos. 12, 13, and 16 to re-establish control. He held on to victory despite back-to-back bogeys to close with a 73 and a 272 total.

Lawson narrowly missed forcing a playoff, bogeying the 18th to end with a 69 for a 273 total, while Marcus Lim and Runchanapong Youprayong tied for third at 274 after matching 69s.