Pucay wavers with 70, slips to joint second

MANILA, Philippines – Mars Pucay slowed down with a two-under 70 and slid to joint second with a charging Sejun Yoon of the US as Casey O’Toole surged ahead with a second 67 halfway through the PGM Tiara Championship at the Tiara Melaka Golf and Country Club in Malacca, Malaysia yesterday.

Pucay, who took the first round lead with a 66, recovered from a mid-round struggle with four birdies in row from No. 13 to salvage a 37-33 card and stay in the title hunt in the $50,000 tournament serving as the third to the last event of this year’s Asian Development Tour.

The 45-year-old Filipino kept the lead in the early going with two birdies in the first five holes but bogeyed the next three and dropped another stroke on the par-3 11th before regaining his touch and confidence to string four straight birdies from No. 13.

He had a 136, two strokes behind O’Toole, the current ADT Order of Merit leader who eagled the par-5 seventh for the second straight day and finished with another 67 for a 134. Yoon tied Pucay at second with the day’s best bogey-free eight-under 64.

Pucay earlier credited his booming drives for the blistering start. “My ball striking was really good and I was able to capitalize on that. Everything went well for me. I putted decently and made a few up-and-downs. I was just riding on the momentum out there,” he said.

With only three events left to play this season, players will have all to play for as they vie to finish inside the top five on the Order of Merit at the end of the season to secure their playing rights on the Asian Tour in 2016.

With the Olympic Games looming in 2016 where golf will be reintroduced as a medal sport, players in the region could earn their spots in Rio de Janeiro by earning OWGR points through the Asian Tour and ADT.