Fired up Frankie fires 69

Frankie Miñoza, unable to get untracked in the first two tournaments in the Japan PGA Tour, finally got going yesterday, firing a three-under-par 69 to trail Korean Kim Jong-duck by just two strokes at the start of the Tsuruya Open in Kawanishi, Japan.

Miñoza, priming up for next week's Kirin Open, which he won three years ago, strung up nines of 34-35 at the 6,837-yard Sports Shinko Country Cub course in a start that could augur well to the 39-year-old Filipino's bid following a series of forgettable finishes in the lucrative circuit since last year.

That three-under effort put Miñoza within reach of Kim, the Korean ace who sizzled with a 32 at the back to fire the day's best score of 67 in the $952,000 event, serving as the third leg of the 2000 Japan PGA Tour.

Three Japanese shot 68s with Satoshi Ishigaki closing out with a 33 to tie Hiroo Okamo and Shingo Katayama, the very player who bumped off Miñoza on No. 100 in the world rankings.

Seven bets from the host country likewise crowded Miñoza at fourth with Tomohiro Kondo rallying with a 33 to catch the big group at three-under. Other 69 scorers were Hidemichi Tanaka, Tetsuya Haraguchi, Seike Okuda, Toru Suzuki, Mitsuhiro Tateyama and Shinichi Yokota.

Miñoza's impressive round came a day after he was booted out in the world rankings, a setback the Filipino must have used as a rallying point to come up with a strong start and prove that he remains a player to watch in the circuit.