Ramos storms into Asian Development Tour title fight, fires 67

MANILA, Philippines -- Sean Ramos delivered a fearless finishing kick under fading light Friday, charging to within one stroke of a breakthrough Asian Development Tour victory and further showcasing the growing strength of Filipino golf on the regional stage.

Ramos fired a sizzling four-under 67 at Saujana Golf and Country Club to reach 12-under 204, setting up a final-round showdown with Indian leader Pukhraj Singh Gill, who carded a 70 to barely cling to the top spot at 203 in the ADT Players Championship in Malaysia.

With Thailand’s Thanawin Lee a distant four shots behind at 207, Ramos emerged as Gill’s biggest threat heading into Saturday’s decisive round.

The Filipino standout came alive down the stretch, birdying three of his final six holes in a gutsy closing run that highlighted both his poise and attacking mindset. His late birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 capped another impressive round after opening the tournament with 68 and 69 cards.

Ramos carefully built momentum throughout the day. He birdied Nos. 2 and 4 but gave a shot back on the third, then reignited his charge with birdies on Nos. 6 and 8. A bogey on the par-3 12th briefly slowed him down, but he answered immediately with a birdie on the par-5 No. 13 before producing his decisive late push.

Now on the verge of his first overseas title, Ramos, a former Philippine Golf Tour winner, is also carrying the banner for a surging generation of Filipino golfers making waves abroad. A victory would see him join Carl Corpus and Aidric Chan as Filipino champions on the Asian Tour’s feeder circuit – another sign of the Philippines’ growing footprint in international golf.

Over in Taiwan, Lloyd Go unleashed a fiery front-nine finish, hitting four birdies over a five-hole stretch to shoot a five-under 67 and surge into a tie for sixth halfway through Friday’s second round at Taifong Golf Club, also on Friday.

The strong closing stretch vaulted the ace Cebuano shotmaker from a share of 23rd to joint sixth at 137, alongside two others, just five shots behind halfway leader Tawit Polthai in the $500,000 Asian Tour stop.

Despite continuing struggles off the tee, Go managed to stay in contention through precision iron play and a scorching putter. After hitting only five fairways – following a seven-fairway outing in the opening round – he still found 13 greens in regulation and needed just 25 putts, highlighted by four birdies during his late charge.

Go mixed two birdies with a bogey on the back nine, appearing headed for a steady but unspectacular round after opening with a 70 on Thursday. But he caught fire on the front side, birdying the par-5 third before reeling off three consecutive birdies from Nos. 5 to 7 to rediscover his rhythm and touch on the greens.

Polthai maintained control of the leaderboard with a second straight 66 for a 132 total, showcasing remarkable consistency, while Matthew Cheung charged back with a 64 to close within one stroke at 133.

Shotaro Ban carded a second-round 67 to stay firmly in the hunt at 134 heading into weekend play.

Meanwhile, Corpus improved to joint 12th after a 69 for a 139 aggregate, while Justin Quiban slipped down the standings with a 72, falling to tied 43rd at 142 after a 70.