Lascuña fires solid 65, seizes lead takes control as Tabuena stumbles to 77

MORONG, Bataan , Philippines– Veteran Tony Lascuña, long languishing in the shadow of Miguel Tabuena, finally made a huge turnaround yesterday to post a four-shot edge.

Lascuña brandished a solid all-around game to fire a bogey-free, eagle-spiked seven-under 65 and the lead over his young rival heading into the final round of the P3.5 million ICTSI Anvaya Cove Invitational here.

Lascuña zoomed to the top with a 205 after 54 holes as Tabuena, who opened with a record 62 followed by a 70, limped with a third-round 77 on the wind-swept layout of Anvaya Cove Golf and Sports Club and slid to 209.

Also staying in the title hunt are Japanese Toru Nakajima (71) and Jay Bayron (73), who pooled identical 211s, Guido Van der Valk (70-213), Clyde Mondilla (71-214) and Park Min Ung (73-215).

“My driving and irons clicked today even at the tougher backside,” said the 45-year-old Lascuña who spiked his near flawless round with an eagle on the par-5 No. 10. “But no lead is safe here at Anvaya with its narrow fairways and windy condition.”

The 45-year-old Lascuña actually fell by nine as Tabuena opened with a birdie but the former gunned down back-to-back birdies from No. 2 then dropped another one from long range on the par-3 No. 8 to move with one with a 33.

No thanks to Tabuena’s sudden foldup as his risk-and-reward ploy that carried him to the top in the first two days backfired this time. He made a double bogey on No. 4 on a wayward drive, dropped another stroke on the next and bogeyed Nos. 8 and 9 for a horrendous 40.

Sustaining his charge at the back, Lascuña eagled No. 10 from six feet off a solid 160-yard second shot to tie Tabuena, who, however, moved up again with a birdie on the 11th.

But Lascuña birdied Nos. 13 and 16 to move ahead then went four-up after Tabuena dropped three shots on the par-4 17th on an errant drive in an unlikely meltdown for a young player who dominated the field with his brilliant shotmaking, iron play and putting in the first two days.

“I stuck to my game plan. It’s a risk-and-reward strategy and it didn’t work out today (yesterday). I’m still confident I can catch up, there’s still 18 holes to go,” said Tabuena, looking to bounce back strong as the contenders battle for the P650,000 purse in the event sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc.

“Lascuña is the man to beat tomorrow (today) but there are other players who can still catch up,” said Tabuena, who struggled with his irons, hitting just 12 greens and flubbed a number of putts from close range.

“I missed too many short putts. I wasn’t as lucky as I was the first two rounds,” said Tabuena. “I also misjudged the wind in some crucial shots. I didn’t get up and down when I had to, I didn’t make the makeable putts. It was a bad day for me on the golf course. I know it will be different tomorrow (today).”

Lascuña aimed to play it cool in the final round of kickoff leg of this year’s PGT organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and backed by Adidas, TaylorMade, Pacsports Phils., Custom Clubmakers, KZG, Sharp and Anvaya Cove Golf and Sports Club.

“I just hope to play this good again tomorrow,” said Lascuña, who was toppled from his three-year reign as PGT Order of Merit champion by Tabuena last year.

Defending champion Angelo Que finally broke par but his 71 could only lift him to joint 16th at 221 with Zanieboy Gialon (69), Joenard Rates (74), Randy Garalde (76), James Lam (77) and Mars Pucay (77) behind the 220 scorers, including Rene Menor (71), Canadian Rick Gibson (73) and John Jackson of the US (74).

Tabuena actually went 9-up over Lascuña with an opening birdie but the latter countered with back-to-back birdies and the former stumbled with a double-bogey on No. 4 then dropped another shot on the next.

Lascuña birdied the par-3 No. 8 from six feet and rode on a two-shot swing as Tabuena missed the green and made a bogey before closing out a horrendous frontside stint with another bogey.

In just nine holes, Lascuña gained seven strokes with a 33, tied Tabuena with an eagle on the 10th then grabbed the lead with a birdie on No. 16 before Tabuena fell behind by four with a triple-bogey.