Eagle feats put Tabuena, Quiban in the mix at Yeangder TPC

MANILA, Philippines – Miguel Tabuena shook off an early bogey on the back nine and surged with a series of birdies to fire a five-under 67, highlighted by an eagle, securing a share of fifth place, three strokes behind Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai after the first round of the Yeangder TPC in New Taipei City, Taiwan on Thursday.

Prateeptienchai, on the other hand, ignited his round with an eagle on the par-5 No. 4, carding a brilliant eight-under 64 with a 31-33 split, underpinned by seven birdies. Despite a bogey on the par-3 17th, he ended the round with a commanding lead at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club.

Yuvraj Singh Sandhu and Wang Wei-Hsuan both posted 65s to share second, while Lu Wei-Chi finished solo fourth after turning in a 66.

The ICTSI-backed Tabuena, meanwhile, found himself in a six-way tie for fifth alongside Jose Toledo, Ajeetesh Sandhu, Atiruj Winaicharoenchai, Carlos Pigem, Taehook Ok and Karandeep Kochhar.

Fellow Filipino Justin Quiban also displayed his awesome power and delivered a strong opening round, fueled by two eagles, including one on the par-5 first hole where he teed off. He pitched in another eagle on the par-4 third, but a bogey on No. 7 and two more dropped shots on Nos. 11 and 14 tempered his surge.

Still, his four-under 68 put him in a share of 12th, positioning him well in his pursuit of a breakthrough in the Asian Tour’s $1-million event.

The field's dominance over the course was apparent as 80 players finished at least one under, taking full advantage of the benign conditions with minimal wind. Fifteen others turned in even-par rounds.

Tabuena, a two-time runner-up at the Yeangder TPC, began his round with a string of pars on the back nine before a bogey at the 15th. He quickly rebounded with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 and carried that momentum into the front nine.

His eagle on No. 1, followed by a birdie on No. 6, punctuated a solid round of 32-35, where he also scrambled to save par four times, keeping him in striking distance of the leader.