Salvador blasts way to 3-shot edge with solid 68

MANILA, Philippines - Elmer Salvador flashed superb bunker shots at the front to save five pars then unleashed a strong finishing kick to card a four-under 68 and storm past Tony Lascuña for a huge three-stroke lead in the third round of the P3.5 million ICTSI Tournament Players Championship at Wack Wack East yesterday.

A pitch-in birdie from around 10 yards on the par-3 16th and another bunker save on the 18th spiked Salvador’s surge on a bogey-free 35-33 card as Lascuña faltered with a 72 after a 67 Thursday and the Davaoeño aces switched places heading to the final round of the 72-hole championship sponsored by ICTSI.

“I felt like I couldn’t do wrong despite a number of bunker visits. I had an incredible feeling each time I got out of the trap. It further boosted my confidence,” said Salvador, who pooled a nine-under 207 and moved 18 holes away from nailing a second victory in the last three legs of the circuit after ruling the Splendido Taal tournament three weeks ago.

Lascuña, who went on a roller-coaster ride after a near-flawless stint in the second round that netted him a one-stroke lead, failed to rescue a par from the trap on the 16th, giving Salvador a crucial two-shot swing and a big cushion in their final round duel for the top P650,000 purse.

Despite his mediocre four-birdie, three-bogey effort, Lascuña stayed just one behind Salvador heading to No. 15 but the four-leg winner muffed what appeared to be a routine three-foot birdie putt on the par-4 hole then missed a 10-footer for par on the next to fall behind by three with a 210 aggregate.

“I just got careless. I was in a hurry to putt it but I lost my focus,” said Lascuña of his boo-boo on No. 15. “My game was fine, only Elmer was so good.”

With the rest failing to make a charge in the pivotal round, Salvador practically has only Lascuña to deal with in today’s final round although the soft-spoken pro remained wary of his chances for the coveted crown in the event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

“Nothing’s sure yet,” said Salvador, who put on a virtual bunker clinic by saving pars on Nos. 2, 7, 6, 7 and 9. “Anything can happen here but I’ll give it my best shot.”

What’s sure is Lascuña’s claim of the Order of Merit title as rivals No. 2 Clyde Mondilla and No. 3 Jay Bayron continued to flounder. Mondilla fumbled with a 74 and fell to 221 while Bayron also made a 74 but stood far behind at 225.