Solid 67 hands Lascuna 1-shot edge

DASMARIÑAS, Cavite, Philippines – Tony Lascuña blitzed the Orchard’s Palmer course with an eagle-spiked 67 and battled back from four shots down to wrest a one-stroke lead over Aussie Scott Barr in the third round of the ICTSI Orchard Golf Championship here yesterday.

Lascuña, seeking to complete what he had failed to do in last week’s Aboitiz Invitational, hit three birdies and shot an eagle on No. 6 in a flawless 12-hole stretch then closed out with a slew of pars to preserve a bogey-free 32-35 card.

Counting his earlier 67 and 71, Lascuña pooled an 11-under 205, moving from solo fifth to the top of the heap heading to the final 18 holes of the $60,000 event closing out the two-week swing of Asian Development Tour in the country.

“My putting finally clicked although I missed a couple more birdie chances in the closing holes,” said Lascuña, who struggled on the greens of Cebu Country Club in the final round and lost the Aboitiz crown by six to Elmer Salvador.

This time, the ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour Order of Merit leader is all primed up for the big one.

“I’ll just play my game but I think a four-under card will win it,” said Lascuña, who hacked a 4-iron second shot from 200 yards and sank a pin-high putt for eagle on the sixth.

Playing in a flight behind with fellow Aussie Ryan Bulloch and Englishman George Thacker, Barr had a rollercoaster of a start but his frontside 35 kept him in the lead until he wavered with a closing 37 marred by back-to-back bogeys from No. 15. He settled for a 72 and slid to second at 206.

Rufino Bayron, five down at the start of the round, dished out a solid finish of 34 for a 69 and moved to solo third at 208, three shots off Lascuña, his best crack at the crown since humbling the pros to rule the ICTSI Valley Open as an amateur in late 2008.

Peter Richardson, also of England, matched Lascuña’s 67 and bounced back into contention at 209 while Thacker limped with a 73 and tumbled to joint fifth at 210.

Singapore’s Lam Zhi Qun also hogged the spotlight as he shot a course-record tying nine-under par 63 to jump from joint 38th to a share of fifth with Thacker.

Lam, who had so-so 74 and 73 to advance to the final rounds of the event sponsored by International Container Terminal Services, Inc., gunned down 11 birdies, highlighted by a stirring seven-straight binge from No. 6.

But after nailing his seventh birdie on No. 12, Lam bogeyed the 13th then birdied the next only to drop another shot on No. 15. However, he remained hot as he birdied Nos. 16 and 17 to finish with a flourish for a 31-32 card.

Reigning Asian Tour OOM champion Juvic Pagunsan set the record 63 last year when he rallied in the final round to beat Elmer Salvador and Lascuña for the Orchard crown.

Pagunsan, however, did the feat while playing under summer rules while Lam made the 63 in winter rules.

Salvador, meanwhile, failed to get going for the third straight time as he carded a third straight 71 for a 213 in a tie with Japan’s Mitsuhiko Hashizume, who struggled with a 73.

Bulloch bogeyed the par 5 18th and hobbled with a 75 to drop into a tie with Singaporean Quincy Quek, who made a 74, at 211.

Other backers of the event, also serving as the 11th leg of the ICTSI-Philippine Golf Tour, are Empire Golf, Titleist, Footjoy, Callaway, TaylorMade, Mizuno, Srixon, Nike Golf, Custom Clubmakers and Sharp with Balls, Studio 23, Pinoygolfer.com and Inquirer Golf.