Tabuena stays in contention after 68; Que, Quiban miss cut

MANILA, Philippines — Miguel Tabuena cooled off slightly despite an early morning start at the Hong Kong Open on Friday, but a steady two-under-par 68 kept him in the title hunt halfway through the tournament at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling.

Following a scintillating opening round of 65 that featured four straight birdies from the first hole, Tabuena carded a pair of 34s in the second round. Despite an encouraging two-birdie start in his first four holes on the back nine, bogeys on the 15th and sixth negated his other birdies on the 18th and third holes.

His seven-under-par 133 aggregate left him tied for 11th, five strokes behind the new leader Ben Campbell.

Campbell surged ahead with a bogey-free five-under 65, posting a 128 total to take command at dusk. Nitithorn Thippong, who grabbed the first-round lead with a stunning 62, slowed down with a 67, finishing the day at 129 to temporarily hold the clubhouse lead before Campbell's strong finish.

Tabuena, whose campaign is supported by ICTSI, continued to shine with his tee shots and approach play, hitting 15 greens in regulation while missing just one fairway. However, his putting was less consistent, requiring 30 putts to complete the round, including a costly three-putt on the 15th hole that marred an otherwise solid performance.

While Tabuena stayed in the hunt, fellow Filipino golfers Angelo Que and Justin Quiban faced disappointing outcomes. Que, who started the day in joint 13th after a bogey-free 66 in the opening round, faltered in the afternoon with erratic play and challenging conditions.

He struggled to a six-over-par 76, marred by two double bogeys, plummeting to a tie for 103rd at 142 and missing the cut by four shots.

Justin Quiban also fell short of advancing. Despite starting early, he could only muster an even-par 70, with one birdie and one bogey. His 36-hole total of 141 left him outside the cut line.

In Japan, Juvic Pagunsan stumbled after an impressive opening round, carding a one-over 73 in the second round of the Casio World Open Golf Tournament in Kochi on Friday, tumbling from a share of second place to joint 27th midway through the tournament.

Brimming with confidence, the Negrense birdied the par-5 10th to kick off his round and capped the back nine with another birdie on the par-5 18th, negating a bogey on the par-4 12th.

However, his momentum faltered on the front nine as he missed birdie opportunities on the first two holes, bogeyed the par-3 fourth and the par-4 No. 6 and settled for pars on the final three holes. He finished with a two-round total of 139, now eight strokes behind leader Young-Han Song of Korea, who surged ahead with a superb 65 for a 131 total.

Japanese contenders Taisei Shimizu and Hiroshi Iwata kept Song within reach with rounds of 65 and 67, respectively, for 132 and 133 totals. The tightly packed leaderboard promises an exciting weekend, with several players still within striking distance and 36 holes left in the four-day championship.

Meanwhile, Justin delos Santos failed to recover from an opening 74, posting a 72 for a 146 total and missing the cut.

Pagunsan’s struggles in Kochi follow a similar pattern from last week’s Dunlop Phoenix Open in Miyazaki, where he opened with a brilliant 66 but faded over the next three rounds to finish tied for 19th. His second-round struggles in Kochi appear to echo the "late-round collapses" that have hampered him in recent tournaments.